


Connection

by Not_So_Typical_Girl



Category: Stranger Things (TV 2016)
Genre: Cuddling & Snuggling, Fluff, Friends to Lovers, Gay Mike Wheeler, Gay Will Byers, Getting Together, Long-Distance Relationship, M/M, Post-Season/Series 03, Sleepovers, Soul Bond, Soulmates, Will Byers Has Shadow Monster | Mind Flayer Powers
Language: English
Status: Completed
Published: 2020-06-01
Updated: 2021-02-11
Packaged: 2021-03-02 20:42:24
Rating: Teen And Up Audiences
Warnings: No Archive Warnings Apply
Chapters: 7
Words: 42,971
Publisher: archiveofourown.org
Story URL: https://archiveofourown.org/works/24482965
Author URL: https://archiveofourown.org/users/Not_So_Typical_Girl/pseuds/Not_So_Typical_Girl
Summary: Post Season 3. Will and the rest of the Byers (plus El) moved away from Hawkins, going to Chicago and taking Mike's heart with them. But his heart didn't lie with the person one might think. Due to Will's absence, suddenly nothing feels right and Mike misses him like crazy, leading Mike to the eventual realization that he's in love with Will (who is in love with Mike, but that hasn't been discussed). He forms a plan to woo Will, but little does he know, Will's got a connection to him. Will can feel Mike's emotions and can hear him calling out, in an manner very similar but extremely different to how the Mind Flayer affected him. Will believes he's losing his mind for a while, until he begins to realize what he's experiencing is real, and that Mike loves him too.What will he do?
Relationships: Minor or Background Relationship(s), Will Byers/Mike Wheeler
Comments: 24
Kudos: 97





	1. Chapter 1

**Author's Note:**

> *Busts through the wall like the Kool-Aid Man* OH YEAH!  
> I'm back with another Byler fic! It's been about a year since I finished publishing my last one. This one has 7 chapters, all of which are completed and most of them are edited. I've been working on this fic since like the first day of January this year, and I wasn't anticipating it taking six months to finish, but this baby currently holds my record for the most words in a single fic. :)  
> This fic will update at least once a week but I'll probably go for twice a week, I haven't decided yet. I'll get back to y'all on that.   
> I also run a Byler page on both tumblr and instagram if anyone is interested!  
> Instagram: @_bylerarmy_  
> Tumblr: @bylerarmy  
> Happy Reading!

It had been a year and a half. _A year and a half_ since Will and El had moved away. Well, more like a year and three months, but it felt like much longer. Mike Wheeler was losing his mind. He had seen the Byers since they'd moved, of course. They had come to visit for Easter, then Mike had gone with the Party to visit them for a week in July. They had just visited for Thanksgiving too.

Mike and El had officially split up, for good. At first it was just because of the distance, it was far too difficult to maintain a romantic relationship. It just didn't feel right to Mike, and it seemed that way for El too. They had all been through Hell, El especially, and El wanted time to figure out who she really was without a boy holding her down, which Mike understood. It seemed Mike also needed time to heal from what he'd been through, but also, he had some self-discovering to do as well.

Mike had noticed something very distinct about himself now that Will and El were both gone. He really was going crazy without them. He was less inclined to go to group hang outs, was more withdrawn. His temper had grown a bit short, he was snapping at people left and right. He felt bad for it, he didn't mean to act that way. It just didn't feel right. While the lanky boy loved Lucas, Dustin and yes, even Max (though she could seriously be a pain), but without Will and El... The Party just didn't hold the same value anymore.

Max, Dustin and Lucas had tried to talk to him. They had all lost El and Will, Mike wasn’t the only one missing them. Lucas thought Mike's withdrawn behavior was all due to El moving, which Mike had actually gotten aggravated with him for, because Will was gone too---which was the source of the problem.

Mike missed Will more than El. Mike felt a bit of guilt when the thought came up, he loved El; maybe not romantically, but she was always going to be important to him. But Will...

Mike took sharp notice that the space beside him was always empty now. At the arcade, at the mall, at the movie theater, in class, in the cafeteria, at sleepovers, on bike-rides, on his basement's couch. Sometimes when the freckled teen wasn't thinking, he'd go to grab at Will in busy hallways so the smaller teen didn't get jostled, or he'd grab his bike and turn around to wait for Will to get his before realizing, _he's not here._

It turns out that when somebody has been close to you since your very first day of school, longer than you could remember; that person suddenly leaving your side can be extremely detrimental to your life. The more Mike noticed Will's absence, the larger the void inside Mike grew.

It was all getting to be too much for him. Surprisingly, Max had been the one who got the closest to understanding it. One day, after the High School's A.V. club meeting, Max had stayed behind when it was Mike's turn to clean everything up. She sat propped up on one of the tables.

"You miss Will, don't you?" She asked, tilting her head to look at him.

Mike instantly froze. "Yes." He replied quietly, refusing to look at the ginger teen.

She hums. "I know how it is, you know."

Mike shot her a glare.

"Okay, okay. Maybe I don't know _quite_ how it is. But my best friend moved away too. El and I haven't been friends nearly as long as you and Will have been, but I miss her a lot. I mean I miss Will too, but I wish I could just have her here. I can't imagine what it's like for you. When I first got here you were insanely protective over Will. I know things got kind of weird between you two that last summer but I'm sure that bond didn't die. I know you've got to be missing Will a hell of a lot right now. I know you and I haven't gotten along very well either, but I just wanted to say this: The boys probably won't understand it.... I love them but they're can be dumb sometimes. But if you want to talk about how much you miss Will, or El, I've got your back." Max finished her speech by taking a long breath in.

Meanwhile Mike had gotten a bit choked up. He'd been listening to her and thinking of memories of Will, and he'd just broken down. He had cried; in front of Max of all people. But honestly, she'd been great. "I just... I miss him so much, Max. He's been here forever and suddenly he's just not anymore and I--- I don't know what to do. I didn't think it was possible to miss someone this much." Mike stuttered through the words. And Max, she just told him everything would be alright, that Will was only a phone call away, or if he really wanted too Max would go out to Cerebro with him to talk to Will that way.

The event had started a new era for Mike and Max. They put their bitter past behind them. They still bickered, but it was more of friendly banter than any form of harmful jabs. They would actually willingly go into a room together and talk; usually about El and Will, but talk like friends none-the-less.

But even talking to Max didn't help Mike very much. He missed Will more and more every day, memories of his times with Will playing endlessly in his head. Sometimes he'd smile at his memories, remember the fear he'd felt during certain ones, the absolute joy in others, but a prominent feeling he came across was regret. He spent a lot of time reflecting on how he spent his time with Will their last summer together.

Such as the time that Will had tried to get them to play D&D. That's the one thing Will had been asking them to do, the one thing he'd really wanted to do. Mike was so absorbed in El at the time that he couldn't even stop for that. Then once Will had finally roped them into playing, Lucas and Mike had just sat there like assholes, disinterested and outright mocking Will. Will had worked so hard on that campaign, too.

Then Will snapped, which was honestly one of the worst things Mike had ever seen. Maybe one might view it as just a quarrel between friends but… Mike had seen Will in all kinds of moods and all kinds of situations. He had never seen Will that angry. Sure, he'd seen Will kicking and screaming when the Mind Flayer had him under his control, but that wasn't Will. Will had never snapped at his friends in his life, yet here he was because Mike had pushed him to it.

Then the fight out in the rain. " _It's not my fault you don't like girls!"_

Mike cringed. That had made Will cry. _Why_ had he said that!? He'd sounded like all the other assholes who made Will miserable. To be honest, Mike was pretty sure Will _was_ gay, but that didn't fucking matter to him. Will was his best friend and always would be, whether he was interested in boys or girls. So why had he used it against him? Mike felt bad about that every day, even though Will seemed to forgive him.

But then there was the biggest realization of all. Before the Byers (including El) had visited for Easter, Mike had already been suspecting that it was in fact _Will_ that Mike had been harboring true feelings. It terrified him when he first realized it. The first time had been right as Will was leaving with the rest of the Byers; he watched Will slowly roll away in his car and it had felt like his heart was shattering... but not because of El. His eyes were watching Will. He was heartbroken over Will.

And then the Byers had come for Easter. Will hadn't gotten much taller, but he'd definitely changed since the last time Mike saw him. The biggest difference had been that Will got a haircut. The bowl cut was no more, instead it was shorter at the sides, the top taking a side-swept look. Will looked great in it. Another thing that had changed a bit was his sense of style. He had arrived wearing blue jeans, a graffic t-shirt underneath a _leather jacket._ The jacket had patches on it, which fit Will's artistic personality. Mike found his heart pounding the moment Will stepped out of the car.

The entirety of Will's visit, Mike couldn't stop himself. His eyes were drawn to Will like sun was drawn to dark clothes. Anything Will wanted to do, Mike immediately agreed to it with no hesitation. Mike and Will had talked on the phone since he left, but not as much as he'd wanted; but even then it wasn't the same as it was in person. The Party had even settled down one day to play through a D&D campaign, created by Mike himself. Will had actually seemed reluctant at first, which Mike felt horrible about. The last time they'd played this, it was all the way back in July and it hadn't ended well.

As the Party actually got into it, Mike realized how much he had missed it now that he had his head in the present. Looking back on it all, Mike really wanted to kick himself. What had he turned into back then?

The night before Will had left because Easter break was ending, Will had slept over at his house. El was out at Max's house, Dustin and Lucas were... well, Mike wasn't really sure. But it didn't matter, because Will was there. They'd started the night watching Ghostbusters and loading up on junk-food. Then the two had moved to the floor, reading comic after comic. The comic book reading had brought up how they'd both spend hours in the library together reading, then that had spun them both on a spiral of talking about old memories.

It was fun to remember them, but it also made Mike sad. That's when the important talk happened. "You know, Will, I really miss you."

Will almost seemed surprised. "Really?"

"Wh---yes! How could you think otherwise? Of course I do, Will. You're my best friend. I know we had a really rough time those last few months and I'm really freaking sorry. I don't know why I was so caught up in El--- she's great, but... she's not you." Mike blurted before he quickly regretted it. It was probably weird to say that.

Will again looked surprised. "Well, no--- you were right about some things. It's true we aren't kids anymore, and... it's not your fault I don't like girls. You were right."

Mike immediately shook his head. "No, Will. I was being an asshole and I shouldn't have said that. I sounded like the jerks at school."

The smaller boy shook his head. "Well, yeah, maybe you shouldn't have said it but you weren't exactly wrong..." He says, taking a shaky breath in. "Mike, I don't like girls." Then in one of the smallest voices the other had ever heard him use, he rushed out with: "I'm gay."

"Oh." Mike said dumbly, not being quite sure of what to say until he heard his best friend sniffle, which he hurriedly came up with a reply. "Will, it's okay. I don't care whether you like boys or girls. It doesn't change who you are, and you are my best friend. You're always going to be my best friend."

Will looked up at his words, tears threatening to pour down his face. "You promise?"

Mike nodded immediately. "Yeah!" He said, scooting towards him to put his arm around his best friend. "You are still the same exact person as you were before you told me, and nothing could ever make me stop being your friend. I'm here for you, and I’m not leaving. You literally couldn’t get rid of me if you wanted too. Remember what I promised you? We'll go crazy together."

Will leaned into his touch, and Mike found, as he suspected, he was not bothered by it at all. In fact, he felt a little fuzzy, a small dosage of butterflies fluttering just because of it. He'd known before Will even told him, and the confirmation changed nothing. The raven-haired teen was surprised to find feelings of relief stirring in his stomach.

Then Will had left the next day and the weight of his absence increased tenfold. It was like the weight of a freight train had crashed into Mike's side as he watched the Byers car roll away. Mike was back to going out of his mind. Everything reminded him of Will. ' _Will would probably like that.' 'Will loved this song!' 'Will would've laughed at that.' 'Will could draw better than that.'_

The more and more Mike missed his best friend, the more he realized he couldn't keep denying the fact that he had feelings for him. But it was such a terrifying prospect. Just because Will liked boys didn't mean Will would like _him._ The raven-haired teen grew stressed. Mike wanted to share something more than friendship with Will, but Mike still valued their friendship above anything else and wouldn't want to do anything to put it in harm's way.

Since Will's Easter visit, they talked a lot more. One phone call a week turned into two, then that turned into three. Mike would trudge up to Cerebro once a week too, just to talk to Will on the Supercomm for old times' sake. He still talked to El and was happy talking to her, of course he was, but his primary reason for calling switched rather quickly from her to Will. They'd talk for hours at a time; about Will's new school, about their teachers, about Will's art projects, Mike's writing projects, about the comics they were reading. They'd come up with a thing where they both choose the same comic, read a certain amount and talk about it over the phone. It made Mike's stomach fuzzy every time.

Then sometimes one of them would have a bad day. Something would happen to mark it a bad day, or they just weren't feeling too well. They always listened to one another and supported one another. The pair had even started saying their old phrase to one another again. "Crazy together."

It was taking Mike's mind and heart by storm. Mike couldn't stop thinking about Will, and with his thoughts, came feelings. He felt lighter when he'd think of Will, then feel heavier when he thought too much about how far away Will was from him. Mike began to feel butterflies bursting in his stomach when he'd hear Will's voice over time. Mike started to become antsy to call Will, and had to hold himself back from calling him every single day. Sometimes Will would call him instead, and it made him feel light-headed when he picked up the phone.

His crush was getting worse. He tried to tell himself it was all just a little crush and that it would go away… but his ‘little’ crush was turning into a really big problem really fast. He wasn't sure what to do, all he wanted to do was be around Will. Mike found himself wanting to hold his best friend's hand, kiss his forehead, hug him and never let him go. It was terrifying. But Mike couldn't stop it. He found himself desperate to find out when he would be able to see Will, and almost burst from excitement when the other boy told him in October that they would be visiting the next month.

When the Byers had finally arrived, Mike found himself in quite the position. When Will had smiled at him the first time, he nearly melted into a puddle on the floor. He didn't collapse, though, because Will had dove in for a hug the moment after he'd smiled. It'd been so difficult for Mike to let go of him.

It was almost uncontrollable. Mike practically couldn't separate himself from Will. Thankfully, Will didn't seem to mind. In fact, Will seemed to be enjoying all the attention from Mike, which made his stomach burst in more butterflies and a feeling of hope.

The night before the Byers left again, Mike and Will had another sleep-over, just the two of them. They had been goofing around most of the night, but with a slightly melancholy tone because Will had to leave the next day. Regardless, they had another important talk.

"Will?" Mike asked, as they lied down for the night.

"Hm?" The smaller boy replied.

The taller teen hesitated. "Do you ever wish you had a boyfriend?"

Will doesn't seem shocked by the question. He's quiet for a moment, seeming to be mulling it over. "Sometimes I do. The idea is really nice but... some people definitely wouldn't accept it. I'd say damn it all, but you know how it is. Plus, how could I possibly bond with someone right now? I'm still healing from all the Upside Down and Mind Flayer business. Right now, if I were to be with any boy, I'd want him to understand what I've been through. How could I explain it to someone who didn't go through it? Most people would never understand. They probably wouldn't even believe me. And... I don't want to fall for someone and they turn out not to feel the same way, you know? It's a risky business."

' _I would understand. I saw him go through it and I was right there with him while he did. I **do** understand.' _Mike thought to himself, but kept his mouth shut. Instead of speaking up and spilling how he felt, the raven-haired teen just scooted closer to his best friend. Noticing Will's sleeping bag was unzipped, Mike took a daring breath and unzipped his. Now that he could, he reached out and slipped his hand into Will's sleeping bag, seeking out his hand.

Once Mike found Will's hand, he interlocked their fingers. He felt the other boy freeze for a minute before relaxing, while Mike felt yet another rush of butterflies and his heartbeat picking up. "You'll find the one who's made for you, Will." He said softly, while thinking, ' _I hope that person's me.'_ "And until then, I'll always be here for you. Even when you do find them, I'll still be here. Crazy Together."

Will laughed just a little. "Yeah. Crazy Together."

The smaller teen scooted closer in his sleeping bag so he was up against Mike, able to lay his head on Mike's shoulder; never letting go of the other boy's hand. It wasn't an odd thing to do, Will used to do it all the time before things had gotten weird because of Mike's behavior when he was dating El. "Thanks, Mike."

Mike's heart was trying to beat out of his chest, and he really hoped Will couldn't hear it. Part of his mind was screaming, "Tell him, you idiot!" while the other half was saying, "I'm scared. He might not like me back!"

So instead of confessing, Mike just rested his cheek on the top of Will's head. "Of course, Will. Always."

Will seemed to fall asleep pretty quickly, his breathing evening out and going calm, but his head still remained on Mike's shoulder, holding his hand. Mike, however, lied wide awake for hours, as he had just been hit with a bombshell of a realization. He didn't just have a crush on Will... Mike was in love with him. For real.

He'd never felt like this with El. He'd liked spending time with her, he'd missed her a lot when she had gone away and was protective of her... but it'd still never felt like this. Mike had never truly understood El. He'd never gotten the extreme dosages of butterflies with El, he'd never itched to just hear her voice, he'd never been terrified to ruin what they had. He had never connected with her like he did with Will. Mike hadn't ever been truly able to see himself with her for the rest of his life, he'd never felt compelled to pull her close and keep her by his side. He'd just done it and acted like it because he felt like it was the right thing to do. The thing people expected him to do.

He'd never truly been in love with El, had he?

When compared to how he was feeling with Will... no. He never had been.

With Will, Mike had an extreme urge to make him happy and keep him safe. If Will wanted him to do something, Mike would do it, regardless of what it was if it meant it would make Will happy. Mike wanted to be with him, he couldn't stand the distance between them and was ecstatic they were close again. Mike wanted to kiss Will's lips, wanted to hold his hand (like he was doing now), wanted to share everything with him and for Will to trust him enough to share everything with Mike. Mike wanted to do the sappy, ridiculous big romantic gestures you'd see in movies for Will.

He just... he wanted Will. On the good days, on the bad days, when Will had a big success, when Will was tired, when Will was scared, even when Will was angry. He wanted Will, flaws and trauma and all. Mike wanted to take care of him and protect him, even though he knew Will was fully capable of taking care of and watching out for himself. Will was the strongest person he knew.

Mike was in love with Will.

Honestly, the realization didn't cause a huge shock in his mind. He'd kind of known before, but had kept shutting it down. He had even had feelings like this for Will when he was with El. But he couldn't deny it anymore. The question was, what should he do about it?

The next morning, Mike had woken up before Will had. It was about 9 o'clock, the sun coming in from his bedroom window and hitting him in the face. But he could hear birds singing outside and Will was still against his side. Mike wished he could wake up to this every morning, the very heavy feeling entering his body when he remembered Will would be leaving in a few hours.

He had just lied there, waiting for Will to wake up patiently. He probably was being a little bit of a creep, just watching him sleep like this; but he couldn't help himself. Besides he didn't want to wake him up and moving would.

So he just waited and watched, trying to commit what he was seeing and feeling to memory. His heart was going a bit faster than normal, but it made Mike feel weightless with a certain kind of joy. He wanted to get used to this.

But Will had woken up eventually, about 20 minutes after Mike. The smaller teen shifted, moving his head so he could look up at Mike. Mike's heart just about melted at the sleepy smile Will gave him. "How long have you been up?"

He faked a yawn. "Only a few minutes. No more than five." He lied, adding a fake croak to his voice to add sincerity. Those theatre classes he had been taking in school had begun to pay off.

"Oh, good. I wouldn't want too---" Will yawned. "I wouldn't want to have kept you waiting."

It was only then that the hazel-eyed teen realized he was still leaning on Mike. "Oh. Sorry for falling asleep on you." He said, yet didn't move off of him.

"It's alright, I didn't mind." Mike responded, nearly choking himself trying to stop himself from saying, " _Can we cuddle like this next time too?"_

Eventually they both untangled themselves from their positions, albeit with slight hesitation and regret. They went down the stairs clumsily, the staircase creaking under foot.

Mike's mother had already made pancakes for them.

At nearly the same time, they'd both said: "Thanks, mom!" "Thanks, Mrs. Wheeler!" Then almost busted out laughing at the synchronization.

After they'd calmed from the laughter, Mike felt a heavy pang in his chest. He already missed Will and he wasn't even gone yet.

After breakfast, they'd rushed back up to Mike's room to try to fit in as much quality time together as they could before Joyce would arrive, with the car all packed up, to take Will and the rest of the family back to their new city. They had gotten about three precious hours in before Karen's voice echoed up the stairway, telling both of the boys that Joyce was there.

Suddenly, all the energy from the room vanished, darkness washing over it. Neither boy wanted Will to go, but they knew he had too.

Slowly, Will got up to grab his stuff while Mike helped. Once it was all collected, they both stopped, turned, and just stared at each other for a moment. It was like they were trying to figure out how to say goodbye to each other, although it wasn't ever going to truly be goodbye. In Mike's head, all he heard was "Kiss him now, you idiot! Do something!". But he couldn't do that.

Instead, Mike removed the space between them, drawing Will into his arms and holding onto the smaller teen tightly. There was no hesitation on Will's part to return the hug; his arms reaching up to squeeze his best friend back just the same.

"I won't be gone for very long. I'll be back for Christmas." Will says, laughing just a little. The thought lightened Mike's heart a bit, but the idea of going another month without Will was still overbearing.

"I know. But I'm still going to miss you." Mike responded, arms around him tightening by just a hair.

He heard the other boy take in a breath. "I'll miss you too. But I'll call you okay? And you can call me."

"Will you call me when you get home? Or tomorrow?" Mike couldn't stop himself from saying, and wanted to punch himself for being so clingy.

But Will didn't miss a beat with his reply. "Of course."

Reluctantly, Mike let go after that. He instantly missed the feeling. "I guess you have to go now, huh?"

Will nodded, and Mike could see his own sadness reflected in his gaze. "Yeah. I don't want to keep my mom waiting for too long."

Mike nodded, opening the door for his friend and traveling down the stairs with him. He waved at Joyce as he saw her, then helped Will get his stuff in the car. Nancy was saying goodbye to Jonathan.

Mike saw El standing, and walked up to her just to say goodbye again. He gave her a hug and smiled at her, promising to talk soon and that he'd see her soon. Mike might not have been truly in love with her, but he did love her as a friend and was very glad they were keeping in touch.

He also gave Joyce a hug goodbye and said bye to Jonathan. He missed Mrs. Byers and Jonathan as well. He missed the entire Byers family, they were like his family.

Once Mike was finished making the rounds, he went back to Will. Everyone else had piled into the car, Will being the only one who remained outside.

The raven-haired teen smiled sadly at his best friend. "I'll see you in a month, Will."

Will matched his smile. "Yeah. And we'll talk on the phone too!" He agreed, looking more hopeful.

Then the smaller teen took him by surprise. He jumped in for another hug, quickly holding Mike against his frame with strength the other boy didn't know he had. "Bye, Mike. See you soon!" He said in a single breath before letting go, barely giving Mike time to hug him back before he got in the car with the rest of the Byers.

Mike and his older sister waved as the car rolled away. The moment the car vanished out of sight, Mike's heart became heavy again. Slowly, he turned to go back in the house, following his equally sullen sister.

Will did call Mike as soon as he got home, which both lifted the raven-haired teen's mood and made it worse, after the call. Mike was getting really tired of this Will-moving-away business, but he knew neither he nor Will could control it. Maybe he and Nancy could convince their mom to let them drive up and visit the Byers.... Nancy could drive now. It might work.

\----------

Over the next week or so, Mike kept replaying one of his final conversations with Will in his head.

The question he had dared to ask. " _Do you wish you had a boyfriend?"_

Then parts of Will's response. " _Sometimes I do. The idea is really nice..." "How could I possibly bond with someone right now?"_

_"If I were to be with any boy, I'd want him to understand what I've been through. How could I explain it to someone who didn't go through it? They'd never understand. They probably wouldn't even believe me."_

_"I don't want to fall for someone and they turn out not to feel the same way, you know?"_

Mike kept replaying this conversation in his head, replaying the thoughts and feelings he felt during them. " _I would understand it. I saw him go through it and was right there with him when he did. I do understand."_

More thoughts joined the initial one. ' _Will wouldn't have to worry much about bonding with me. We already have the strongest kind of bond. We were each other's first friend!'_ and ' _If Will fell for me, he wouldn't get hurt because I don't feel the same. I'm already in love with him, and I’ll never fall out of it.'_

Mike spent a lot of time mulling things over. He lost focus in school, lost focus at remaining Party member meetings, lost focus in rehearsals, lost focus just about everywhere because he was spending so much time thinking about it.

Maybe... just maybe, Mike thought, he might be the perfect match for Will. They'd been best friends forever, so they already had an infinitely strong bond. Honestly, Mike didn't think all that much would change if... if they became _boyfriends._ They were already used to talking and spending time together constantly. It would be just like building something extra on top of what they already had.

Mike would understand what Will had been through, too. He knew because he was with Will while most of it happened. Other than when he was first taken, but Mike was fighting the entire time to bring it back. Mike couldn't understand _everything,_ he might not have been the one who got possessed and hunted... but he knew what Will went through. Mike went through horrors right beside him. They were both a little fucked up... maybe a lot fucked up. They were going crazy together.

Mike wasn't perfect, but he'd always do his best to make Will happy. He wanted desperately to see Will happy. He'd never do anything to hurt him.

Mike knew that he had to take a risk. He was going to tell Will how he felt. At first he was petrified of the idea, what if he ruined everything that they had? What if he ruined everything that they'd fixed? What if Will didn't feel the same, and started treating him different or even got angry?

But truly thinking about it, Mike knew his best friend wouldn't be upset, or angry with him for how he felt, even if Will didn't share his feelings. Will had a good heart. He would understand. Will wouldn't end what they had over it. It would be heartbreaking to hear that Will didn't have feelings for Mike too, but really taking things into consideration... Mike thought he had a chance. All their talks, all their promises of going Crazy Together. When they had gone through the Mind Flayer situation, Will trusted him with things he trusted nobody else with, not even Mrs. Byers, leaned on him when he truly needed it. And when Will broke free of the Mind Flayer, he seemed much more attached to Mike. He had gotten so upset with Mike when he'd been spending all his time on El... maybe it wasn't just that Will was missing Mike. Maybe Will had been jealous.

Now Mike was sitting in his basement, mentally weighing the pros and cons of the risks he was about to take. If he took the risk and Will returned the feelings, he could become the happiest guy on the entire planet, and be the one who could try to make Will the other happiest guy on the planet. They could 'upgrade' their relationship into something even more beautiful, and keep it for life. But if Will didn't return the feelings, well... Mike would be heartbroken, but he could push it aside for the good of their friendship. He'd rather have Will in his life as a friend than not at all.

So Mike was going to take the risk. It was worth it for the happiness they both might achieve.

The issue was how he was going to tell his best friend he was in love with him. He wanted to do it in person... but should he keep it small and upfront, or try to do a big romantic gesture? Well, Will deserved the best, but maybe an outright giant display of affection out of nowhere might overwhelm him. It would probably blind side him and possibly send him into a bit of a shock. Maybe he could keep it small at first, explain the situation and if Will felt the same, do a big romantic gesture on their first date?

That... sounded like a good plan. Okay. That was what Mike was going to do.

Now, Will would be coming back down in three weeks for Christmas. Mike would tell him then. However, in order to not back out or become a fumbling mess during his confession, Mike would have to plan out every single detail and form a proper speech.

He had better start practicing.

Mike grabbed his Supercomm from where it lay dormant on the table beside the basement's sofa. He made sure it was off before holding it like he was talking into it. It would help him feel like he was actually talking to Will, as they'd used to use this all the time before he moved, instead of treating this as a theoretical situation.

"Hey, Will. I've got something really important to tell you. I know you're probably not going to be expecting what I have to say, but just hear me out, okay?"


	2. Chapter 2

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> So uh... said I was gonna post one chapter at least once a week. Whoops.  
> In my defense, I got hired at a new place and getting back to work has thrown me way off ;-;  
> To make up for it, I'm posting both Chapter Two and Chapter Three today   
> My apologies XD

Will Byers had gotten himself in a bit of a dilemma. Again. 

So, flashback to about 3 years ago, in November of 1983, Will's life had become a little like a living Hell. On his way back home after a night of playing Dungeons and Dragons at his best friend's house, he got chased down by an otherworldly human-killing creature that himself and his friends had dubbed the Demogorgon. Will got kidnapped by said creature and dragged into the dark dimension that the Demogorgon came from, the Upside Down. The Upside Down was an awful place. It _looked_ exactly like the world he was used too, all the buildings in Hawkins were there, including his house. But it was dark, cold and wet. There were vines everywhere, just waiting to ensnare you. There definitely wasn't any food, nor safe drinking water. The air also wasn't very safe to breathe in, a poison lingering in it.

For a week, 12-year-old Will was hunted down by the Demogorgon. Will had ran and hid for a week of his life with no life-sustaining substances, all alone with a monster. 

But he had survived, and he'd gotten back to his life. A girl called Eleven, who had super-powers, had saved him and guided his family and friends to him. Will Byers had literally died and had been brought back to life.

The girl, Eleven, had gotten rid of the Demogorgon and had disappeared with it. Will was sad about it, and hoped that wherever she was, she was okay. He hadn't even gotten to tell her thank you for everything she had done.

But, when he came back, things weren't exactly the same. People treated him differently. Of course there was more jabs from bullies, but that was relatively normal. He got a new nick-name, "Zombie Boy". But what bothered him more was how the people he loved were treating him. They treated him like a baby, like he would break at the smallest of things. The only person who didn't treat him that way was Mike, his best friend since the age of 5. But even Mike had something different about him. While Will had been trapped in the Upside Down, he'd been working with El to find him. Knowing Mike had been going crazy trying to find him while he was gone warmed Will's heart, but Mike had seemingly fallen in love with this girl in the single week that Will was gone. Knowing that stung him, but Will wasn't entirely sure why.

At least there was no sign of the Upside Down coming for him again... until there was.

Will had started to get 'flashbacks' of the Upside Down. But they didn't feel like flashbacks at all. They felt real. It felt like he was really back in there, the air cold and cloying around him. He'd hear noises, and then start to see things. These occurrences were dubbed as Will's 'episodes'. But the more episodes he had, the worse they got, and the more he was sure they were real. The hazel-eyed boy would begin to see _him,_ the Mind Flayer. 

It was a giant, shadowy spider-like creature, and when it rose, it took up the entire sky. 

Then there was Halloween night. It started off as a normal Halloween, the Party was in a group costume. They were all proud of their Ghost Buster outfits. It had started as a lot of fun, but then Max had come. Mike really hadn't liked her, and Will wasn't sure why. Mike got angry that Max had shown up and stormed off, leaving Will alone at the back of the group.

That's when Will had gotten cornered. He'd gotten shoved back by someone he didn't even know, falling onto the ground. At the fall, he was instantly transported back to the Upside Down. He had called for Mike, but nobody came. Then the Mind Flayer, 'the Shadow Monster' at the time had risen, seeking out Will and chasing after Will.

The thirteen-year-old had run as fast as his feet could take him in a panic, ducking behind a wall somewhere to hide, hoping it'd work. He didn't know if the Mind Flayer would've gotten him then or not, because two arms had grabbed him. Two familiar arms. "Will!" 

Will had jumped out of his skin, but it was just Mike. "Will! What's wrong? I couldn't find you, are you hurt?" His best friend had sounded panicked, which was exactly how Will felt. Will had been a frightened mess at the time, looking all around for any sign of the Mind Flayer. And Mike, he'd lifted him up from the ground (literally) and got him out of there, bringing him to his house. "I'm gonna get you home okay? I'm gonna get you home."

"Mike---" That had been Dustin. Dustin had reached for Will, but Mike wouldn't let even let their friend touch him.

"I got him, I got him!" 

Then Mike had taken him home; to the Wheeler's basement. And they talked; Will told him the truth about what was really going on, and Mike had said the words that the smaller boy would never forget. "Hey, Will. If we're both going crazy, we'll go Crazy Together, right?"

"Yeah. Crazy Together." Will had responded, feeling himself smile despite the night that it had been.

That conversation had brought an odd warmth to his stomach, his heart picking up it’s pace, which took Will by surprise. He forced those feelings down, shoved them aside, but it kept happening again, and again, and again.

Will had gotten an episode at school, the Mind Flayer appearing once again and actually grabbing a hold of him this time. It... he rushed all around Will, taking Will into his grasp. _He_ got him and began his takeover.

Throughout the next few days he began feeling sicker and sicker, not like himself. He kept getting flashes of the Upside Down in his mind, but he knew they weren't flashbacks. It was real occurrences, happening at the time that he saw them. His mom, being very worried about him, kept him home. And Mike Wheeler, being the friend that he was, showed up at his house immediately after school because he was worried about him. 

When his mom had tried to turn Mike away, telling him that Will just wasn't feeling well, his best friend refused to believe it. He didn't just refuse to believe it, he insisted on coming inside and helping Will through whatever was going on.

Mike stayed with Will every moment for almost a full week. He missed school for Will, didn't go home. He slept on Will's bedroom floor, tried to make sense of the map Will had made with his Mind Flayer intuition, sat with him while he was scared, comforted him, believed his every word.

Will remembered _one_ instance particularly well.

_"It's like I feel what the Shadow Monster's feeling, see what he's seeing." Will had explained._

_"Like in the Upside Down?" Mike asked gently._

_"Some of him is there, but some of him is here too."_

_"Like, in this house?"_

_"In this house and... in me. It's like... it's like he's reaching into Hawkins, more and more. And the more he spreads, the more connected to him I feel." The infected teen had begun to choke up a little at this point._

_"And the more you see these now-memories." Mike responded, beginning to understand._

_"At first I just felt it in the back of my head. I didn't even know he was there. It was like when you have a dream and you can't remember it unless you think really hard. It was like that. But now it's like now I remember. I remember all the time."_

_"Maybe... maybe that's good." His best friend tried to comfort._

_"Good?" Will had looked back to him then._

_"Yeah. Just think about it Will. You're like a spy now, a super-spy. Spying on the shadow monster. If you know what he's seeing and feeling, maybe that's how we can stop him. Maybe all of this is happening for a reason." Mike's eyes had been soft, his voice also soft in a reassuring tone. It made Will feel like he really was going to be alright._

_"You really think so?"_

_"Yeah. Yeah I really do."_

_Then Will had paused, his eyes focusing on a picture he'd drawn of the Mind Flayer. "What if he figures out we're spying on him? What if he spies back?"_

_Will had been a shaking mess, terrified out of his mind. Mike, he'd just reached out and took Will's hand in his. "We won't let him." He had said, basically saying 'we'll do this together, I'm here with you.'_

Despite everything that was going on, Will had felt his heart hammering, his mind racing and warm tingles going down his back. And that definitely wasn't from the Mind Flayer. That was his own body feeling things, because of Mike. 

Then Will had seen Hopper whilst sleeping, taken by vines in an Upside Down tunnel. He’d bolted into a sitting up position, woken up in a fright due to his now-memories and Mike had been there, right next to him on the floor and waking up with him. Will told him what he had seen in his vision and they rushed to tell his mother. With Bob's help they successfully located where Hopper was stuck and did a wild chase to find him.

They got him out, they managed to save him but immediately after, the worst part came. People from Hawkins Lab came to the sight and took fire to the Upside Down infected land. Will had felt it all. His body reacted with the burning, burning him from the inside out. He'd cried and thrashed with it, he could barely remember it now except for the fact that it'd been more painful than anything he'd ever experienced and hopefully would ever experience. He had been burned alive.

Things were harder in the hospital. He was losing control of himself, becoming a hostage in his own body and mind. Yet again, Mike was his shining light in the dark. The Mind Flayer was taking more and more control from him, but whenever Mike was there, he had more strength to fight through. 

Then he'd started losing his memory. He was forgetting people. First he forgot the doctors, then he forgot who Bob was. Then he had started to forget Hopper. Yet his memory of two people remained strong; the memories of his mom, and Mike. Always Mike.

Even when he completely lost control, the memories of Mike stayed. Mike wasn't going to let this thing stay in control of his body, and neither was his mother. He wasn't going to die.

And he didn't. Will lost complete control for a while, he had believed the Mind Flayer would never let him go. Will had almost broken free when he was under the Mind Flayer's control though, one single time.

Hopper, Jonathan, his mom and Mike had tied him up in a chair in the shed. Not him, his body. He was not himself at the time. With Will unable to move, they did something that was almost intervention-style, trying to bring him out from the Mind Flayer's control. They all shared memories with Will, sitting across from him and talking about them with heart-felt expressions and tones of voices. All of them had pushed Will closer to gaining control back, but one of Mike's speeches had almost completely pushed him over the edge.

" _Do you remember the first day we met?" Mike had said, his face raw with emotion. "It was the first day of kindergarten. I knew nobody... I had no friends." Mike had begun crying, and seeing it Will felt his heart crack in his chest at the sight. He wanted to scream and reach out to him, telling his best friend that he was still here. "I just felt... so alone, and so scared. But then I saw you on the swings, and you were alone too. You were just swinging by yourself. And I just walked up to you, I asked. I asked if you wanted to be my friend. And you said yes... you said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."_

_Will felt tears pushing at his eyes, his heart pounding in his chest. He wanted so badly to break out of his bindings, both mental and physical, and engulf Mike in a hug, because he remembered. Mike asking to be his friend was the best thing to ever happen to him too, and he wanted to tell him that. He almost could, if he just reached a little bit further...._

_But the Mind Flayer caught him again, tightening his hold, wrapping his tendrils around his neck until his airflow cut off. It was almost enough to kill him._

But Will had known if they didn't put a stop to this, the business with the Mind Flayer and the Upside Down would kill both him and everybody he loved. So, he bravely tapped out a message to tell them they needed to close the gate. 

Somehow, the stars had aligned. Well, mostly. El came back; apparently, she'd been in hiding at Hopper's cabin. Hopper took her to close the gate, the rest of the Party went with Steve to burn the Upside Down, and Jonathan, Nancy and his mom locked him in Hopper's cabin, filtered intense heat into the room in order to burn the Mind Flayer out of him. The Mind Flayer wound up fleeing from Will's body. Whether it was the intense heat of the room, the burning of the Upside Down or the closing of the gate that caused the Mind Flayer to flee, Will wasn't sure. Either way, he was free.

But as soon as that problem in his life was over, Will was faced with another. It wasn't exactly life or death, but still mentally draining. Now that the nightmare of the Upside Down seemed to be over, he just wanted things to go back to normal. He wanted to spend time with his friends, go to the arcade, play D&D, have sleepovers... the things they'd always done.

This was not what happened. 

A month after the horrifying events had concluded, Will had gone with his friends to the Snowball. He found all he really wanted to do was dance with _Mike._ Just once would have made him happy, but it was an extremely startling realization. Not only was Mike a boy, Mike was his best friend of all things. 

He didn't get to dance with Mike though, but that didn't come as a surprise. A girl had come up to him; asking him to dance and Mike had pushed him to do it. The girl had winded up being very nice despite her initial greeting of, "Hey, Zombie Boy!", but Will just wasn't interested. Instead, he found his eyes wandering to Mike every few moments. What he saw in those moments crushed his soul. Mike was dancing with her, with El. She'd shown up, and they'd kissed.

It wasn't that Will didn't like El. He barely knew her, and she'd saved his life. Twice. So he couldn't hate her. But it hurt more than anything.

Over time, it got worse. Mike and El became officially boyfriend-and-girlfriend, things started changing fast. Lucas and Max were dating as well, so they were quite wrapped up in each other but it wasn't nearly as bad as Mike and El. Mike began changing as a person, blowing off the Party meetups constantly to go see El every night. It was like somebody had flipped a switch in Mike and all he really cared about was El. 

It was killing Will slowly. He missed Mike terribly, his crush wasn't going away and it was making him miserable. All he wanted was for Mike to see him too. For something to go back to the way it used too. Was that so much to ask for after all that he had been through?

Apparently so. The school year had come and gone, the summer hitting fast. Dustin left for a month to go to a summer science camp, called Camp Know Where. Guess what? He came back, having a girlfriend. 

That made Will the only solo member of the Party. (Could they even call it that anymore?) So, this was fantastic; he was the only single one, he was gay, and hopelessly interested in his best friend who cared about nothing but his girlfriend. 

Will found himself growing bitter. This was a bunch of bullshit. He goes through Hell and comes back to _this_ as reality? 

He had formed a plan, desperately hoping it would work. He built up a Dungeons and Dragons campaign, working extremely hard on it. He even set up music and a costume. He'd tried to hassle the other boys into playing like they used to, but they just kept brushing him off in favor of their girlfriends.

Eventually Will had basically cornered Lucas and Mike into playing with him, but that didn't go over well. They weren't interested and had actually been mocking him the entire time. Then the phone had rang and they immediately dropped the game to see if it was the girls calling. Will tried to get them back in it, but they just brushed him off. Again. So Will just snapped. 

" _Fine. You guys win. Congratulations." He had hissed, pulling off his Will the Wise costume._

_It was almost comical how fast Mike and Lucas dropped their snarky attitudes. Will probably would have laughed if he hadn't been swallowing down tears._

_"Will, I was just messing around." Mike had said, sounding genuine but Will was completely done at this point. Mike had come around to the table. "Let's finish for real, how much longer is the campaign?"_

_"Forget it, Mike." Will responded, still seething and shoving his things into his bag._

_"No! We wanna keep playing, right?" Mike had insisted, glancing to Lucas for support._

_"Y-yeah, totally!" Lucas said, lying through his teeth._

_"We'll just call the girls afterwards!" Mike had tried to reason, which the mention of the girls pushed Will over the edge. The girls was all they cared about anyway, so what was the point? They obviously didn’t want him around anymore, so he’d go._

_"I said forget it Mike! Okay? I'm going home." Will had yelled, his blood basically boiling at this point._

_Then he had rushed up the stairs, out the front door, grabbed his bike and got ready to leave._

_But Mike had followed him. "Will, come on. You can’t leave, it's raining. Look, I'm sorry okay? It's a cool campaign, it's really cool! We're just not in the mood right now."_

_Will, still enraged, turned and snapped again. "Yeah Mike, that's the problem! You guys are never in the mood anymore, you're ruining our party!"_

_"That's not true!" Mike tried, but Will knew it was bullshit._

_"Really!?" He had retaliated, lifting his tone and eyebrows. He had plenty of arguments he could pull out. "Where's Dustin right now?"_

_Mike went quiet. He couldn't answer the question because he didn't know._

_"See? You don't know, you don't even care and obviously he doesn't either and I don't blame him! You're destroying everything and for what!? All so you can swap spit with some stupid girl!?"_

_That comment had set Mike off. "El's not stupid! It's not my fault you don't like girls!"_

_That made them both freeze. It was a sensitive subject for Will and Mike knew it, people used it against him all the time. To know that Mike had become one of these people.... It made Will ready to bawl._

_Yet Mike continued to dig into him. "Look, I'm not trying to be a jerk. But we're not kids anymore. I mean, what did you think? That we were never gonna get girlfriends? That we were just going to sit in my basement and play games for the rest of our lives?"_

_Will's fighting hard to not let his tears roll down his cheeks. "Yeah. I guess I did. I really did." He admitted, before turning and riding away from him as fast as he could manage. He heard Mike call after him but Will refused to turn back._

Where had Will gone after this? Castle Byers. That's where he always went, it was his emotional safe space to go when he wanted to feel better. Instead, the fight kept replaying over and over again in his head, breaking his heart repeatedly. Going to Castle Byers in this state had been a mistake; memories of himself and Mike were all over the place. In a rush of emotions, Will had taken a bat to Castle Byers, sobbing and calling himself stupid. Everything was destroyed, which was something Will regretted now despite it no longer mattering because he didn't even live there anymore.

The destruction of Castle Byers was a good visual interpretation of his own life crumbling into nothing. To top it all off, as Will sat, still crying, in the remains of Castle Byers, he felt something he had hoped he'd never feel again. A chilling pull in the back of his head, down his neck into his spine. He recognized it immediately. The Mind Flayer was back. 

Mike and Lucas came rushing up to him almost as soon as he realized. Apparently they'd followed him home. "Will! What happened, are you okay!?" Mike had been yelling, actual concern taking place in his voice. 

Then all concern had been shifted to the Mind Flayer. _That_ was a crazy time. It seemed every time the Upside Down came back, it got worse. The Mind Flayer had taken over Billy, created an entire army of Flayer Zombies, and somehow physically manifested using rats; the Spider Monster. Evil Russians were also involved. That'd been horrible. 

Yet the Spider Monster too had been defeated, at a major cost. Billy had come back to himself, sacrificing his life to save El. Billy hadn't been a great person, not by a long shot, but he had gotten better according to Max and even he didn't deserve that. Hopper had died too, or so everyone believed. They couldn't find his body in the aftermath.

That summer had been the final straw for his mother. She took El in, gathered Will and Jonathan up, and decided they were moving. That'd been a hard day. Then the actual move had been an even harder day. Saying goodbye to his friends had been even harder than he'd imagined, even though he knew it wasn't actually goodbye. But things would never be the same.

He didn't get to say what he'd wanted to say to Mike. But Mike hadn't truly spoken what was on his mind, either. The pair had a weird relationship the last 3 months he was there, after the events of the beginning of July. They were hanging out more now that Mike and El had split up, and Mike was acting more like his old self. It still wasn't quite right, though. 

If there was one good thing that was coming out of this move, it was that he might finally be able to get over Mike. They had gone to Chicago. Maybe Will would even be able to meet someone new, who knows? That was the one pro to this entire thing.

Over the next few months, Will and El got settled into their new school. They stuck together, never apart. After all, only they knew what each other had been through. They made a handful of friends, and thankfully had no bullies to deal with. They never got super close with anybody though, not like they were with the Party back home. 

Mike and El were trying to make a relationship work over the phone due to distance, but it just... fizzled out. They officially split up over six months ago. Once they'd split, Mike had started calling primarily to talk to Will. He had been surprised the first time it had happened… as well as the second and third time.

_Ring, Ring, Ring!_

_Will got up from the kitchen table to answer the phone. "Hello?" He'd asked nonchalantly._

_"Hey, Will. It's Mike." Mike said. Will almost sighed. He had heard this before and knew how it went, even though Mike and El had split up. Maybe he was trying to get back together with her._

_"Hi, Mike. Do you want to talk to El? She's studying right now but I can ask her if she can take a break." Will responded, chest feeling heavy even though he was used to this._

_"Oh, no. Will, I called to talk to you!" Mike said, the words sounding like he was rushing them out before he could chicken out._

_Will paused. "You did?"_

_"Yeah. To be honest, I really miss you. It's been too long since we've really had a proper conversation. I want to know what you're up too."_

_Will was honestly shocked at what he was hearing but decided to take advantage of the situation while it lasted; he missed Mike too. More than he could say._

_"I miss you too." He said before he could stop himself._

_"It's weird, not seeing you around. I wish we could see each other more often. It's really wild; you've been by my side since we were 5 years old and now you're just... not here anymore." Mike's voice sounded sad. "I can't imagine what it's like for you though. Totally new place, new school, new everything. What's it like?"_

_They had talked for two hours that day. **Two hours.** Will had laughed harder than he had in months in that two hours and nearly cried more than once. Once they said their goodbyes, they hung up the phone and almost immediately Will felt a feeling of grief fall into his stomach. How long until they'd have another conversation like that?_

Will didn't have to wait very long. Within a week, the phone rang again.

"Hello?" El had answered the phone this time. There was a moments pause. 

"Hey Mike. How are you?" El had asked. Will was drawing in his bedroom but could hear the conversation from there and felt his heart drop. Mike probably wasn't going to ask for him.

He was proven wrong quite quickly. After only ten minutes, El appeared in his doorway, phone in hand. "Hey Will, Mike wants to talk to you." 

The brown-haired boy raised his eyebrows in surprise, but he shoved his drawing pad out of his lap so he could take the phone from her. "Hello?"

"Hey, Will." Came the familiar voice on the other end, a smile practically audible in it. Hearing that made Will smile in return.

Again, they talked for hours. Will felt a similar state of shock hanging up the phone that he felt the first time. The brown-haired teen wondered if this was going to become a regular thing now but refused to get his hopes up.

The thing was, over the next few weeks it kept happening, again and again and again. It was only every few days, but Will had heard from his best friend more in the past few weeks than he had heard from him in the past year. 

While he was happy to be hearing so much from Mike, it was also causing _problems_ for Will. Guess what came back, front and center? Will's feelings! But who was he kidding, they never truly left.

Mike slowly crept back into his thoughts, becoming more and more prevalent. ' _I wonder when Mike's going to call again. I wonder what he's been up too.' 'Should I just call him? He usually calls me first but it's only been 2 days.' 'But I wanna talk to him now... I don't want to appear clingy though.'_ Then his pulse would start racing the moment he heard that it was Mike on the phone. 

His crush on Mike had never left, but now it was back, stronger than ever before. Will had to accept it, even though he did not want too. It was easier now that Mike and El were no longer together as a couple, and that Mike was actually paying attention to him. A lot of attention, now that Will thought about it. But what was he supposed to do? Mike was _straight,_ wasn't he? 

Well, at least Mike hadn't been bringing up his interest in any other girls. That was a good thing for now. Maybe Will could tame his feelings before that happened.

This pace of communication carried on for about two months until the Byers went to visit for Easter break. Will was surprised with how much attention Mike was giving him. Mike did hang out with El, they were still close even though it was just as friends now. But his best friend's priority seemed to be _Will._ Anytime Will would point something out or say he wanted to do something while he was in Hawkins, Mike instantly agreed. Mike even planned out an entire D&D campaign to play with the original Party members. Will found himself hesitant to play, surprising himself. Perhaps it was the memory of their fight in the summer that was holding him back. Regardless he did get into it after a little bit, and an ache of how much he missed it hit him. Mike had seemed to put a lot of effort into it, as well.

They did the things they used to always do. They went to see a movie at Starcourt (which had been successfully fixed up after the whole... summer...destruction), which went smoothly; no interruptions. They went to the Palace Arcade, bothered Steve and Robin, had an all-party sleepover, and then at the end of the trip, Mike and Will had one just for themselves. 

That had turned into an important milestone for them. Mike had admitted that he really missed Will, they talked over their fight in the summer, which was something they had never really talked about; just skipped over with all that had been going on. And Will had told Mike he was gay. It was terrifying at the time, his heart pounding, his mind racing. He'd almost started crying, but Mike had been amazing. Mike told him that it was okay, it didn't change who Will was, and that he'd always be his friend, which was what Will really needed to hear. Mike had even used their old words, 'Crazy Together'. That had made his heart race in a different way; a warm way.

After his visit for Spring Break, Mike started calling more often. It turned from only once or twice a week to three or four times a week. Usually the longest Will went without hearing from Mike was only three days. And each call, they'd talk for hours. Somehow they never got bored, never ran out of things to talk about. It made Will incredibly happy, but also kind of stressed due to his ever-growing crush. 

Then they'd visited in the summer, which made Will realize his crush was even worse than he thought. Again, most of Mike's attention was on him but nothing out of the ordinary really happened that particular visit.

They talked back and forth more and more over the next few months after Mike and the rest of the Party had left, until it was time for the Byers to visit Hawkins again for Thanksgiving.

The week had gone fantastically well, Will spent time with all of his friends while he was there; yet again, spending the most time with Mike. There was a lot of time with the entire Party, but also a lot of time one-on-one with him. Again, they'd had a solo sleep-over the night before the Byers were going back to Chicago.

They'd shared another important, oddly touching moment. It reminded Will a lot of when Mike had been by his side the week he'd gotten sick with the Mind Flayer's take over. Mike had cautiously asked Will if he wanted a boyfriend.

Will had responded by saying the idea was nice, he would want one, but it'd be quite hard in his position. Most of the world still didn't accept gay people, and who could possibly understand what Will had been through except for the ones who went through it with him? Also, Will currently didn't want to be with anybody except for Mike, but he didn't say that part out loud.

Mike, being the friend he was, was extremely comforting. He even reached out, taking his hand and holding it. He said he knew Will would find the person that was right for him, and he'd always be there for him, even after Will does find him. 

Too bad it really felt like _Mike_ was the one who was right for him.

Will had decided to indulge himself just a little that night, scooting closer to Mike and laying his head on his shoulder. They used to do stuff like that all the time, so it wasn't too out of the ordinary. Now that they were close again, it didn't feel weird.

They'd fallen asleep like that too. In the morning, Will had to go. It was unbelievably hard to leave, especially with how Mike was looking at him; how Mike had held him like he didn't want to let him go. But he had to go. " _I'll be back for Christmas."_ Will had reminded himself, and said as much out loud for Mike to hear. 

Then he'd gotten in the car, and as they drove away, it felt like he'd left half of his heart in Mike's hand. Maybe he'd actually left the whole thing. That feeling as they were leaving made Will get hit with a realization. He was in love with Mike, wasn't he? For real, legitimately in love with his best friend.

_Oh no._

So that was how he wound up here. Away from Hawkins, living in Chicago with his mom, brother, and adopted sister El. No more Upside Down business (at least, not yet. Every time they thought the Upside Down was gone, it popped back up later), but so far away from his friends. So far away from his best friend, Michael Wheeler, the one who was also guilty of stealing his heart.

Will was... slightly confused, by all the attention Mike was giving him. After all, he had to go through basically being ignored completely by him in favor of El once, he didn't want to go through it again. But now that El wasn't with Mike anymore... Mike's attention had shifted back to Will once again.

So here Will was once more, tripping and stumbling over the same boy who now lived hundreds of miles away.

He'd just gotten home and called Mike immediately like he promised. They still managed to talk for two hours despite just seeing each other in person. That fact alone made Will's heart flutter despite his efforts to stop it. Once he got off the phone with Mike, he went into his room, falling onto his bed with his stomach sinking.

Then, something peculiar happened. He felt an awfully familiar feeling of something pulling at him, causing a chill to run down his spine, arms breaking out into goosebumps. Will would know this feeling anywhere... his connection to the Mind Flayer.

Oh. _Oh no._

Will nearly began to panic. The Mind Flayer had found him, hadn't he? Wait... no. This... this was something different. Similar, but much different all at once.

Instead of a cold, constricting feeling taking over his body, he felt something else. The chills didn’t have that cold, cloying feeling to them; instead they were much closer to warm tingles; similar to the ones he would sometimes feel when Mike brushed up against him.

Instead of a heavy feeling in his chest, he felt his heart beating faster, a light feeling filling it. His stomach was no longer sinking, instead, fluttering with butterflies.

Then, a voice sounded in his head. A voice that was not his own. It was very faded, choppy and distant, so Will couldn't truly make out what it was saying. He couldn't exactly identify the voice, either, but he knew it sounded familiar. It brought a sense of warmth and safety to him.

The only words he was able to make out were: "Important", "hear", "shock", "promise", "best", and "Will". His own name. He heard his own name a couple of times, and though he was straining to listen, he couldn't make out any other words, although the voice was a constant. It was like a very low mumble, and all through this, those feelings persisted.

Then, the voice stopped, and the feelings dropped. Like it had been cut off, just like that. 

Will... wasn't sure what that was. He did not feel as if he was in danger. It couldn't have to do with the Upside Down, could it? Not if he had been feeling safe and content. 

Maybe he would get lucky and that would be the only occurrence. But then again, he sort of wanted to know more. Whatever that voice was trying to tell him, whoever owned the voice, was pulling Will in.


	3. Chapter 3

**Summary for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here is the third chapter :)

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> As promised, here is the third chapter :)

It had only been a couple of days since Will had left, and Mike's emotions were hitting him hard. _"He'll be back in a few weeks. It's not like he'll be gone for years and years",_ Mike tried to tell himself, but the thought was no help in soothing him. However, it was help in regard to giving the lanky teen motivation to figure out how he was going to tell Will was he was in love with him.

He'd been thinking a lot about it, almost way too much. He was losing focus in class, at the dinner table, at rehearsal... everywhere, because he was thinking about Will and the possibilities of it all. Mike was terrified, but even if Will didn't like him back (a thought that Mike didn't even want to entertain but knew that he had too in case it was the reality), Mike knew that Will wasn't going to be horrible about it. He had too good of a heart to freak out or stop being Mike's friend.

After mulling it over, Mike decided _not_ to make it a big thing because he knew it was probably going to overwhelm Will, so he trashed any ideas for grand gestures. But should he do something that would be special and meaningful for them both? Absolutely. The question was, what would be perfect?

He was stumped, likely overthinking the whole situation because he was freaking out a little about it. He eventually decided to go to Max of all people to ask. After all, they had a connection since they had begun having their talks. The raven-haired teen was surprised that he trusted Max with this more than any of the other party members. He felt slightly guilty over it, Lucas and Dustin had been there way longer but... by telling Max he was in love with Will, he was also telling her that he liked boys. That he was... not entirely straight. That maybe he didn't like girls at all.

But Mike knew he had to talk to her. He knew deep down that she wasn't going to shame him for it, and that also meant that she would have his back once he was ready to tell the boys. Plus, Max _was_ from California. If people were accepting of gay people anywhere, it was in California. Mike wasn't exactly worried about Dustin and Lucas being judgmental, after all he had a feeling that they also knew Will wasn't quite straight... but they probably thought Mike was.

So, keeping his breathing even to stop himself from freaking out, he stopped Max at the end of 7th period. They still had 8th period, but this would be the last chance he would have to talk to Max alone during the school day. "Hey, Max. Are you busy after school?"

His fiery-haired friend shook her head no with a slightly confused expression on her face. "No, I don't think so. Why?"

Mike bit the inside of his cheek. "Can you come over? I have to talk to you about something important. I need your advice."

She nodded, asking no questions. They both knew not to ask questions until there was nobody else around.

So, Max followed Mike home, riding her skateboard alongside him while he biked. Mike had just gotten his permit to drive; but it would be quite a while before he had his license and his own car to drive back and forth to school. 

Once the pair arrived at the Wheeler's residence, they ditched their bike and skateboard and headed inside. "Hi mom. Max is here." Mike greeted as soon as he walked in the door, so his mom wouldn't be surprised. Mrs. Wheeler had gotten used to seeing Max come in alone with Mike from time to time; although unlike most moms would have, she didn't suspect they were a couple. Mrs. Wheeler knew more about what was going on with her boy than he thought she did.

"Hi Mrs. Wheeler." Max greeted, giving a little wave to her as they walked past her in the kitchen. Mrs. Wheeler smiled at them both, asking how their day was and if they wanted a snack before the teens headed into the basement.

"Alright, Mike, what's going on?" Max asked, flopping down onto the beloved basement sofa. 

"Okay... so it's kind of a big deal. Like, a really, really big deal. It could affect how the party works, even. It's certainly affecting my life, that's for sure." Mike said first, just to establish how weighty this truly was.

Max rose her eyebrows. There was a moment's hesitation before she opened her mouth. "Well...? What is it? Whatever it is, I’m sure it’s not as bad as you’re making it sound."

Mike took a deep breath, closing his eyes. "Okay, before I say anything, promise me you won't tell Dustin or Lucas. Actually---don't tell anyone. This has to remain between you and I for now. I'm serious. Also, promise me you won't freak out or be weird about it. I'll still be the same person as I am right now after I tell you this."

The girl in front of him seemed to be fighting the urge to roll her eyes as she said: "Okay, okay Mike. Just tell me what it is, and we can go from there. I promise I won't scream this great big secret to the world or backhand you for whatever it is."

Okay, sarcasm aside Mike knew she was being sincere about the fact that she wasn't going to be weird about it. When it came down to it, Max wasn't malicious. He decided to bite the bullet. "I'm in love with Will." He blurted, the words seeming to fall from him without him being able to really control it.

Max just blinked at him for a moment, her face remaining neutral as if Mike hadn't just dropped a bombshell of a secret on her. The fiery-haired teen just pursed her lips and furrowed her eyebrows for a second while Mike was holding his breath waiting on her to say something. Finally, she opened her mouth. "Well, what else is new?"

Mike's jaw dropped as he spluttered. "What do you mean what else is new!?" He exclaimed. 

She had the audacity to look amused. "Mike, being totally honest here, Ikind of knew that already so it's not a big shock."

He found himself spluttering. "I---what. What. How!?" He asked, 

Max then gave him a look that seemed to scream, " _are you kidding me right now?"_ It was a little eerie how good Mike had gotten at reading her facial expressions.

"Mike, I'm a girl. Girls notice things. I see how much you miss Will when he's gone, and when he is here, I see how you act. Anything he wants to do, you're in immediately; you look for a lot of excuses to get him alone and more than 75% of the time that he's here and I glance at you, your eyes are on him. It doesn't take a genius to put two-and-two together." Max explained.

The raven-haired teen was dumbfounded. Was he that obvious? Oh, god, he was, wasn't he? Did Dustin and Lucas already know? Did _Will_ know? Mike's brain basically began to short-circuit. 

But Max continued, seeing that his fears were rising. "It's okay Mike, don't freak out. I said it doesn't take a genius to figure it out, but I think it does take a girl. At the moment, at least. I don't think Lucas and Dustin have figured it out. Will doesn't know how you feel either; which isn't surprising because I don't think you know how he feels for sure either." 

That brought Mike's attention back to front and center. "What do you mean?" He asked without hesitation.

This time, Max did roll her eyes. "I swear, you boys are oblivious sometimes." She sighed. "From how I see it, that poor boy has been in love with you since I met you lot. I didn't get to see much of him during that first week, when all the weird Upside Down stuff was going on and he got sick, but it was clear that having you around helped him a lot. Even after that week was over and he got back to normal, he wanted to be around you constantly. He was ready to follow you like a lost puppy. Now that El was back though, you kept wanting to spend more and more time with her, and less and less time with Will. He got... really sad. It was kind of hard to watch. It seemed like all he really wanted was your attention again and for things to go back to normal."

Hearing that made Mike feel guilty, even though he knew it was the truth. Mike had been doing his best to make amends, and he thought it was working. But he still didn't like the fact that he'd neglected his best friend for so long. 

"But now that you and El have split up and you're focused on him again, he seems happier; but not as happy as he could be. Not as happy as he would be with you, I think. Looking at all of that, I think Will definitely loves you back, if that's what you're worried about." Max summed up her monologue, but that wasn't all Mike was worried about.

"Max... it's more than that, though. I... I don't think I ever actually loved El." Mike confessed. He felt guilty about it; he hadn't meant to be lying to El for all that time but... it was what it was and it was in the past.

That confession _did_ take Max a bit by surprise. "Oh. I mean... I guess that doesn't really matter now, does it? You two haven't been together for almost a year. It is a little surprising to hear, but at the same time... it isn’t. You were never... never really trusting of her and you got mad when she tried to be herself. You're supposed to trust and accept the person you're in love with." 

"I... I know, Max. I feel awful for lying to her. I love El, but not like that. I've accepted that now. I think... I think I might not like girls at all, Max. I think... I think I've been feeling this way for Will for a long time. El reminded me a lot of Will, she was like a blank canvas for me and that made it easier to be with her. But eventually that novelty fizzled out, and it wasn't working anymore... I think I might be gay." Mike's voice dropped to a whisper at the end of his confession. His gaze dropped to the sofa so he didn't have to look Max in the eye. He never really said it out loud, but now that he had... it was becoming reality. It made sense, no matter how scary it was.

Max moved a little bit closer to him on the couch. "It's okay if you are, Mike. I know a lot of people aren't very accepting, but if they don't accept you for who you are, then you don't need them. I've got your back." 

Mike suddenly felt incredibly grateful for Max. They'd gotten off on a really rough foot but look at them now. He looked up at her, meeting her eyes. "Thank you, Max." 

She just nodded and smiled at him. "Of course. That's what friends are for." Then that smile turned into a smirk. "So now that we got all of that established, let me guess what you really brought me over here for; you want me to help you come up with a plan to tell Will how you feel." 

Mike's jaw dropped open again. "You're too good at this." It was all he could say.

She laughed. "Yeah, I know I am. It's my job. I've got to stay on top of everything or else all three of you boys would be falling apart; you especially now that Will isn't here." 

\------------------

They'd spent about two hours talking it out before Max had to go home. It'd come down to this: Will was coming down two days before Christmas, and he was staying until two days after New Year’s day. The day after Christmas, Mike was going to tell him. It was going to be a day for just Mike and Will; Max would help make sure of that. 

Mike had come up with ideas for what would make the day a bit more special. Going to the arcade, as that was something they had always done together. Go to the movies, or, staying in at night and watching movies in Mike's basement. In fact, watching movies in Mike's basement was even more meaningful, if he thought about it. Okay, scratch going to the movies, they were going to watch movies in Mike's basement. 

The details on what they were going to do throughout the day still needed work; but how he was going to tell him was set. They would be having a sleepover, so when they got settled to lie down and go to sleep, Mike would ask him to wait because he had something important to tell him. That's when he would spill everything, praying that Max was right about Will feeling the same. Part of Mike felt like she really was right; that Will did love him back. Maybe he would get lucky and it was true.

Now, like before, he had to plan exactly what he was going to say. He'd been practicing for the past few days, but nothing had been concrete. That was the next goal, Mike supposed. He had better get started.

Maybe he should write it out? When he practiced it out loud, he found himself getting nervous even though Will couldn't hear him. It almost felt like he could, even though Mike knew that wasn't true. Despite that, the nerves did make it a little harder to think. Writing it out may help him.

He could follow a script. Mike had plenty of practice at it thanks to theatre. It was always easier when he knew what to say.

So, the lanky teen grabbed a notebook and began writing. He had better hide this well when he was done with it in case his mom came cleaning inside his room at any point. He wasn’t ready for her to know about this.

" _Hey Will... before we go to sleep, can I talk to you?" (_ Mike assumed Will would say yes.) _"So... you know how El and I have been split up for a year, right?"_

__ Mike added side notes while he was planning his speech. For instance, after mentioning El, he remembered that it might be a sore subject with Will. Neither of them had forgotten what happened when Mike was with her. That had been the hardest time in their friendship. Thankfully, they'd moved on from it, shoving it behind them and deepening their bond even more than what they used to have. However, Mike knew that bringing El up might cause Will to worry that they were getting back together. It wasn't a fault on Will's part. Mike was the one who had treated him badly... and he was going to explain that. So, he wrote down that he should hurry and say that they weren't getting back together if Will suddenly got nervous.

" _Well, since we've been split up... I haven't been looking at other girls. I haven't been thinking about anyone new, either."_

__ Mike knew that in order to get to the next part when telling this to Will, he'd probably need to take a break to breathe and calm himself. Thankfully, studying scripts and the way characters speak in theatre class had prepared him for this. He wrote in a break for breath.

" _Before I actually get to the point; I want you to promise me you won't be weird about it, okay? I'm being serious, this isn’t a joke. I trust you, more than anyone, but this is a big thing. I don't want your opinion of me to change. We can just go back to normal after this."_

__ In reality, Mike _hoped_ they wouldn't be going back to normal; he wanted them to become a couple... but he'd take being his best friend over not having Will in his life at all.

" _So, back to what I was saying before... I haven't been looking at anyone new, because someone I already know is on my mind. Somebody I know extremely well, probably better than I know myself. This somebody gets my heart racing just from hearing their voice, and I can't take my eyes off of them when I get to see them. I'm losing focus in everything else in my life because I'm always thinking about them. Constantly wondering what it would be like to kiss them."_

__ Another break for breath if he needed it.

" _You know who that somebody is? That somebody that's prevented me to not be able to look at anyone else? Who's taking up all the space in my mind? It's... it's you, Will. I'm in love with you. And I hope you feel the same way.... but it's okay if you don't."_

__ Mike really hoped Will felt the same. Even imagining Will telling him " _I'm sorry Mike, but all I see you as is a friend"_ made Mike's throat start to close up and caused his eyes to burn.

He kept telling himself that it would be fine. He knew he had to do this, or it would all come out one day in an explosion anyway. It was inevitable.

That's where Mike would end his speech, and it'd be up to Will where they go next. Mike was _nervous_ to tell him. It was a good thing he had three weeks to practice until Will got here. Mike picked up the notebook and began to pace around his room, mouthing the words he'd say as he read them. Mouthing turned into whispering, then whispers turned into low speaking. He couldn't be too loud; he didn't want anyone in the house to hear him. He wasn't in the safety of the sound-proof basement.

Mike knew the best thing would be to memorize the speech so he didn't have to think about it as he was 'performing'. It's much better to know your lines by heart and to focus on putting emotion into them than to focus on remembering the words. You were much more likely to mess something up that way. So, Mike would read these words over and over again until he could say it backwards, forwards, and in his sleep if he needed too. 

Mike knew one thing for sure; he was in love with his best friend of eleven years, Will Byers, and was determined to tell him. 

\-----------------------

Will was freaking out a little, internally. That voice Will had heard the night he got home? That had not been a one-time occurrence. It started echoing in his head every single night and hadn't ceased since he'd gotten home. Along with the voice came feelings; feelings that were very similar to how Will got when he was with Mike. The butterflies, his heart beating heavy in his chest, the feeling of assurance and safety... it was strange. But what was really scaring him was that as the days went by, he started to hear more of what the voice was saying. In fact, he was hearing it now.

He could make out clips of sentences clearly now. Tonight, he heard: " _Haven't been looking... I trust you... big thing... change... I already know... my eyes off... it's you... it's okay."_

__ He'd heard his name a couple of the nights that he'd been hearing this voice. 

The thing was... this voice... it was an extremely familiar one. At first, Will couldn't put his finger on who it sounded like, but as more and more clarity came, Will figured it out. It sounded like _Mike._

Nothing about this was making sense. It _felt_ similar to what Will had experienced when the Mind Flayer was taking over his body, talking to him and controlling him. But in contrast to the Mind Flayer, Will didn't feel fear. He still felt that pull, shivers running down his spine. But these weren't cold shivers... they were more like warm tingles. He didn't feel pain, he didn't feel like he was losing control of himself. He didn't feel cold; if anything, he felt warmer. He had perfect control of himself, too. 

But it still didn't make sense. It wasn't like Mike had supernatural powers to talk to him. Was... _was_ this the Mind Flayer? Some kind of cruel joke he was playing on Will to lure him into a false sense of security? It felt nothing like the Mind Flayer though. They'd gotten rid of the Mind Flayer. The part of him that was stuck in the Upside Down had materialized physically... but they got rid of him. They killed the thing; it was gone. 

But what if he wasn't? It seemed that no matter how many times they seemed to defeat the Upside Down, it came back every time. When the Mind Flayer was in him; it learned things from Will. The Mind Flayer could've easily figured out how Will truly felt about him. After all... Mike was the one he wanted to call out too the most when he was trapped. 

No. This wasn't the Mind Flayer. It couldn't be; Will knew for sure when he was around. This was different.

The voice... must have some significance. It must be trying to tell him something, but what? The voice was getting clearer, and he was able to pick up more of what it was saying, but he still couldn't piece it all together. _Why_ did it sound like Mike, though? That was the most confusing thing for him.

Overall, Will decided he nor his friends likely weren't in any serious danger; at least, not right now. If something really was wrong, Mike would call him. If the Upside Down was back, a girl with superpowers who was _very_ familiar with the Upside Down lived in the room next to his. If something was up, she'd know immediately. She hadn't given any hints at all that something might be wrong. She hadn't sensed anything with Will. It didn't feel quite like the Mind Flayer, and El hadn't sensed it. It probably wasn't life-or-death, then. He had time to figure it out.

Something new that _had_ happened was, he would get sudden flashbacks of memories with Mike. Some of them seemed to be more random, but some of them had a lot of meaning. For instance, one of the more random ones was a memory from when they were thirteen; they had been at school, and Mike was not understanding the science lesson one bit. Luckily, Will had understood it. He went over to Mike's house after school, they'd slipped down into the basement. They sat side by side on the sofa, pulling out homework and notes. Mike had leaned in real close at some points to see what Will was doing as he explained. Will remembered his heart starting to beat faster, and a funny feeling unraveling in his stomach. Something that had started to happen around Mike a lot, but Will at the time had refused to acknowledge what it truly was. Then the smile that Mike had given him when he finally understood the material thanks to Will's explanation. "Oh! I can't believe I didn't get that. Thanks, Will! You made it so easy!" 

Remembering it still gave him those butterflies, considering he felt them again as he got the flashback.

A more meaningful memory that popped up had been a time when they were in elementary school, although they were almost done with it. They were in fifth grade, which meant the next year for them would be Middle School. The idea of Middle School had been scary then. None of them had known what they would be up against. But, the memory had been on a May afternoon, the school year's ending was only two weeks away.

They were sitting at the Wheelers' kitchen table, having an after-school snack. (Will believes it had been a Friday, as he thought this day had contained a sleep-over; but he could be remembering it wrong. A lot had happened since then, blurring earlier memories.) 

" _Will?" Mike had asked, piping up after swallowing a bite of food._

_ "Yeah?" He been able to respond instantly, thankfully having nothing in his mouth. _

_ "Are you scared to go to Hawkins Middle?" His best friend asked. Will thought he was asking because he might be scared to go himself. _

_ Will hummed, thinking about it for a moment. "Kind of? I mean... everything is a little bit scary when it's new. But we can't avoid going, so we should just do our best to like it, I think."  _

_ Mike nodded in agreement, but then his face dropped again. "But there will be more kids... which means we might have to deal with more bullies. I don't wanna get called "Frog-face" by more people."  _

_ Will immediately got a little mad. He hated Troy Walsh. Why couldn't they just leave him and his friends alone? Dustin, Lucas and Mike had never done anything bad to him, and neither had Will. He made fun of Dustin, he made fun of Lucas, he made fun of Mike, and he made fun of Will. Troy called Will a 'fairy' constantly... and the words he said bothered him more than they should. But it made him even more upset when he made fun of Mike. Will wasn't sure why, but it did.  _

_ "Well, if someone else starts bothering us and calling you Frog-face, they're dumb. You don't look like a frog, so don't listen to them. Besides, we always have Dustin and Lucas! We have each other's backs. We'll do this together." Younger Will had brightened thinking of their friends.  _

_ Younger Mike smiled a little. "Yeah." Then he'd smiled a lot brighter. "Yeah! We'll always have Dustin and Lucas. I'll always have you, and you'll always have me! Like you said... we're going to do it together. Thanks, Will!" Mike had exclaimed, any sign of anxiousness disappearing just like that. _

__ Will's heart ached now at the memory. He missed Mike so much.

The thing about these memories, though... when he remembered them, they literally replayed. It was like he was transported back in time to when they were happening. His current surroundings melted away, instead being replaced by the visuals and sounds of the memory. He could practically feel it, as well. Once the memory was done, it was like Will was waking up. Thankfully, he had not been caught wandering off in thought during class yet. That would be hard to explain. 

By far though, the memories that popped up the most were the week Will had been sick under the Mind Flayer's control, and Mike had stayed with him; as well as the summer of last year, right before Will had moved.

That, too, was another thing that kept happening.

What made it worse was that as these memories kept coming up, the voice playing in his head... it was like he somehow was falling even more in love with Mike.

This wasn't fair, and Will was all sorts of confused. All of this seemed to be revolving around Mike. The memories, the feelings... was Will having some sort of mental breakdown? It wouldn't surprise him if he was, honestly. 

To top it all off; Mike was still calling. He seemed to be calling the Byers even more than he was before, every day now it seems. And most of the time, Mike truly only seemed to be interested in talking to Will. Of course, he talked to El as well. But his primary reason for calling was always to talk to Will. And now that all this was happening to Will, when he got on the phone and heard Mike's voice, the racing heart and butterflies increased by tenfold, to the point that he started feeling dizzy.

The biggest question was, would whatever all of this was start making sense anytime soon? _Why_ was it happening? 

Will decided to mark off the idea that it was the Mind Flayer, unless... unless he was playing some sort of sick trick on Will. Will didn't think so, though. It wasn't like him. If the Mind Flayer was still somehow connected to him, and was still able too, Will was pretty sure he wouldn't wait to take over. He'd just do it. What would be the point of using Mike against him, anyway?

So... adding it all up. 

One: He was feeling that same pull, that connection that was so eerily similar to the Mind Flayer, yet so different at the same time. Where the Mind Flayer was cold, constricting, and dark... this was much lighter, more open. Will almost immediately felt like smiling when he felt this pull, which was the direct opposite of how he felt when he felt the Mind Flayer there.

Two: He heard a voice in his head that seemed to be saying... _something._ Will wasn't quite sure what exactly that was, or the message said voice was trying to convey. It was becoming clearer, though, slowly. In a week it had improved a lot... but not enough for Will to properly understand. If this kept improving, Will might finally get the full thing, eventually.

Three: That voice, it sounded an awful lot like Mike. Will would swear it _was_ him, but it didn't make sense for it to be so. Regardless, with that voice came sensations that he was so used too but at the same time, he'd never get used to it. Sensations that always came from being around Mike. Warm tingles, butterflies, pounding heart, brain short-circuiting. Sometimes the emotions were so intense Will felt like he needed to sit down. Sometimes Will even felt his face heating up in a blush. Embarrassing. Yet the feelings were still wonderful, if it wasn't so soul crushing when he had to remind himself that Mike didn't love him back. But then, feelings that weren't as intense yet just as wonderful came through as he listened to the voice inside his head. Warmth, acceptance, trust, safety... 

Four: All of the memories that were popping up, they were only of himself and of Mike. Sure, there might be other people there _occasionally,_ but they were practically muffled noises and blank faces when the memories came rushing in. The focus was never on Will with anybody else; only Mike. 

_ Everything  _ seemed to be surrounding himself and Mike. 

Will almost laughed. Just like everything in his life, it always seemed to come back to Mike. 

All of this had to mean something though, didn't it? It was such a strange occurrence, but it couldn't just be happening for no reason. 

Will didn't really want to believe it... but maybe Mike really was trying to tell him something.

He had better sleep on the thought. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Again, if anyone is interested, my Byler related social medias are as follows:  
> Instagram: @_bylerarmy_  
> Tumblr: bylerarmy  
> :)


	4. Chapter 4

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Me: *says this fic was prewritten so was finished at the time of publishing, that new chapters would come out regularly until all were posted*  
> Me, now, 2 and a half months since I've updated: *nervous sweating*  
> ... I'm so sorry. I always freaking do that with my fics whether I prewrite them or not I swear.  
> But I'm back and I intend to actually post the last 3 chapters after this one here very soon. In my defense, some serious stuff went down in my real life and had a real bad heartbreak. I was living a Will situation no joke.  
> I think I still have to edit Chapters 6 and 7? I'll have to go back into my word document and check.  
> ANYWAY HAPPY READING PLEASE DON'T BE TOO MAD AT ME FOR THE GAP IN UPDATE TIME LMAO

Will was beginning to get really freaked out. Two weeks had passed and the voice in his head had become unmistakably clear, the voice clearly belonged to Mike. Will couldn't deny it anymore, there was no argument that could go against the idea any longer. But why was it Mike's voice that was echoing in his head? Was this a trick of the mind? Was Will finally going crazy because of how much he was in love with Mike?

Second off, the message that was being said… Every time Will heard the voice in his head, the pull at the back of his neck, the same things were being said, with the same feelings rising. He had started hearing more words, as well. The speech was much less choppy.... he was even getting complete sentences now! Will had decided to sit down and start writing down what he had heard. After a few nights, Will had realized a pattern.

It seemed as if he was hearing a confession. A confession that was both telling someone they had feelings for them, and a coming out confession. 

Looking at some of the sentences he had heard... " _I haven't been looking at any other girls." "I trust you." "This is a big thing." "I don't want your opinion of me to change."_ That was part of a coming out speech if Will had ever heard one. Will would know; he'd planned to say similar things himself. Thankfully, he hadn't really needed too; his mom and Jonathan had beat him to it so he didn't have to do the explanation when he told them. El needed a little bit more explanation, but she had understood in the end too.

Then the other things he'd been hearing. " _Gets my heart racing..." "Can't take my eyes off of them." "Always thinking about them." "Constantly wondering what it would be like..."_

Those were pretty outright as to what they were speaking of... but there were dead give aways that followed those words. " _I'm in love"_ and " _hope you feel the same"._

The words that always made Will's breath get stuck in his throat when he heard them were: " _It's you, Will."_

It sounded like Mike was confessing to Will that he loved him back. But that was _impossible_ and that fact was killing him. Mike didn't have supernatural powers, he couldn't talk to him telepathically; let alone the fact that Mike was straight. It hurt him, but Will wouldn't be doing himself any favors by letting himself dream, would he? He just had to keep reminding himself that it was all in his head, it wasn’t real.

But all of it wasn’t making any sense. Why was it all happening? Not only had he been hearing this monologue repeating in his head, he had feelings that came with it. Heart racing, butterflies in his stomach, feeling as if he was walking on clouds... all feelings that came with having a crush and _of course_ it had to be associated with Mike. When was it not? There was never anybody else that had made him feel this way. Will thought there might never be another person who could. 

Then there was the memory thing, which might be even more bizarre. It was like when Will was suffering from now-memories with the Mind Flayer, but this time they weren't happening as Will saw them. Will knew that these were memories from the past because they were _his_ memories; specifically his memories with Mike. He only ever saw the memories he had with Mike.

Now, to add onto all of that, Will was having dreams when he slept. Dreams about Mike. Will thankfully didn't dream very often, because if he did, he might be having nightmares left and right. But now he was dreaming every night, and Mike was always there. It was always focused around him and Mike, but nothing bad ever happened. There was never anything bad about the dreams, except for that they were extremely unrealistic. 

These dreams weren't memories, not exactly---unless you count that the dreams always took place in Hawkins. Will was always at peace in the dreams though. The dreams presented themselves as a reality where Mike was interested in boys, apparently, because Mike was interested in Will. Mike seemed to be _more_ than interested, if he was being honest, because they looked to be dating in every single one of these dreams that he had.

Will was always doing something with Mike that was deemed something a couple would do. Sometimes the dreams were really simple, Mike and Will would be at Hawkins High, walking through the hallways and Mike would grab Will's hand and link it with his. That would be all the dream would be, just them walking through endless school corridors while holding hands. Then there was them in Mike's basement, sleepily watching a movie that was a few years old on his sofa. Will was curled up into Mike's side, his best friend's (boyfriends in the dream) arm wrapped snugly around him. Occasionally Mike would press a kiss onto his forehead. Will almost cried when he woke up from that one. That had been a bad morning.

Then some of the dreams would be more complex. One was Mike and Will going on a date, visiting places all through Hawkins and ending it by sneaking out and going swimming in the quarry at night. There was another where Mike and Will were dressed up in suits, going to their Senior prom. Together. That dream had made him a little sad. The truth was, Will had been wishing to dance with Mike since the snowball in seventh grade. But Will had already come to terms with the fact that it wasn’t going to happen. Why was his mind tormenting him like this? He was never going to get over Mike if this kept up.

All of this together was freaking Will out. El had noticed something too. Will had been sitting on the living room sofa when he'd started hearing the voice again, feeling the pull. El had been in the kitchen, making a snack before coming to join him. She'd come into the living room, but stopped behind him. 

"Will, your neck." She had said, reaching out to gently press her fingers into the back of it. 

Will nearly jumped out of his skin. "What is it?" He'd asked quietly, already knowing.

"The muscles are tense. Are you okay?" She'd answered, voice gentle. She was concerned it had something to do with the Upside Down. She’d seen the effects the Mind Flayer had on him. They were all to familiar for all of them.

Will nodded his head. "Yeah. I just have a headache. It makes the muscles tense there sometimes."

His sister had looked at him suspiciously for a minute but dropped it. El had gotten much better with social cues and she saw that Will wasn't exactly sure what it was, but wasn't ready to talk about it. She wasn't going to press him, she didn't sense the Upside Down so whatever it was, it couldn't be that bad.

For Will, that interaction had been confirmation. At least, confirmation that something really was going on and that Will wasn't just simply losing his mind.

Part of Will wanted to talk to Mike about it, but if he did and it turns out that this was something other than Mike having a legitimate crush on him, things could get awkward. However, things that had been going on outside of Will's head also gave supporting evidence that it was in fact Mike trying to confess his feelings.

Number one: Mike was sounding desperate to see Will again. Every time he called, Mike mentioned it. He seemed to be counting down the days until the Byers visited again. "Only three more weeks until you're back in Hawkins! That's only 21 days." Mike said something like this every time, his voice sounding more and more excited as the numbers got smaller.

Number two: Mike sounded _nervous_ when Will first got on the phone. He would stutter a little, talk quicker than normal, and his voice had a higher pitch. It eventually evened out, but it was strange. It reminded Will of when Mike saw El when he had first gotten together with her. Mike also tried to keep Will on the phone, whenever it seemed there was a lull in conversation and Will was thinking it might be time to get off, Mike always seemed to pull a new conversation starter out of nowhere. Mike was always eager to hear what Will was doing. Their calls were getting longer and longer.

Three: If he thought about it, when Will had seen Mike in person, it didn't always feel like they were just friends hanging out. Not anymore. It almost felt like it used too, when Will was getting sick from the Mind Flayer. It felt like they were as close as when that happened, but now it felt like there was something more between them, something that was left unsaid. Mike was more physically affectionate with him. He would walk close enough to Will that their hands would bump into one another occasionally, guide Will around with an arm around his shoulders. Anytime they were with a group, Mike practically fought to always be the one next to him. Mike seemed to be going out of his way, trying to make Will happy when he was there; always going along with whatever Will wanted to do, even going as far to round up the original party and create a D&D campaign to play. Then, their sleepovers. When it was just them, things got a little heavy. They had important talks. Last time, Mike had asked him whether he wished he had a boyfriend or not, then _held his hand and let Will cuddle into him._

Four: Mike seemed to be almost jealous when Will brought up any new friends he had. His voice seemed to grow a hard edge to it when Will brought a person up, unless it was clearly a teacher. Mike wanted to know about them instantly, and their relationship to Will. The thing that was funny about it though, was that when Will clarified it was a girl, Mike usually went back to relaxed. However, when it was made clear that the person was a boy, Mike seemed less than happy. It was strange. Mike wasn't mean about it, necessarily, but it was clear Mike seemed a bit uncomfortable with it. Was it jealousy making him act like that? Well, if it was… now Mike knew how he’d felt when all he wanted to do was spend time with El. 

Five: Even his family had commented on it. It was mostly off-hand comments from Jonathan and his mom. For instance, Will had heard, "Mike's been calling you a lot. Didn't he call yesterday?", from Jonathan. He'd also heard: "I don't know how you boys talk for so long every day. He must really miss you" from his mom. El had commented on it too. She had said to Will one day after he got off the phone: "Mike is always happy to listen to me, but he's always more excited to talk to you". 

So Will knew it wasn't just him that had noticed the changes in Mike. It was all incredibly daunting if he was honest with himself. He'd been longing for Mike to return his feelings for years. If Will was right about this, if Mike really _was_ planning on confessing that he liked Will back... just the idea of it made him ecstatic. However... how would they make a relationship work when they didn't get to see each other very often? Well, likely how they made their friendship work now. It might not be all that different from how they treat each other now. Maybe just pet names and more romantic affection would be added to the mix. Will felt butterflies being unleashed in his stomach as he imagined reaching up to plant a kiss on Mike's lips. 

But it would be dangerous for them. People were coming around to the idea that gay people do, in fact, exist, but most people weren't very accepting of it. Some people treated it like it was a disease. Others... others could be heartless. Violent. But Will believed that he owed it to both himself and to Mike to try. After all... they'd already found friends who would accept them. They accepted Will for who he was, so why wouldn't they accept Mike? But then, there was Mike's family. How would Mike's family react to all this? At least Will's mom and Jonathan would always be supportive...

Besides, what if Will was wrong? What if he was misreading this entire situation and Mike didn't have feelings for him at all? Mike may be accepting of Will's sexuality, more than accepting, but how would Mike feel if he just suddenly asked if he liked Will? Mike never even gave him any signs of liking boys. Mike _seemed_ to be straight. 

But then again... Mike never brought up any other girls in conversation other than Max and El. Will had also taken it upon himself to talk to Dustin and Lucas, asking if Mike seemed to be talking to any new girls. Lucas had said no, meanwhile Dustin had also said no and given him context. "Dude, no. He almost seems to be avoiding them. It's weird. This girl, Amanda? She's in math class with Mike. It went around that she had a crush on him, and he wanted nothing to do with her. All he wants to do is talk to you." 

Hearing _that_ had thrown Will in for a loop.

The brown-haired teen was in a predicament. What should he do about this? Should he ask Mike? Should he wait for Mike to say something himself? 

Will was getting a bit frustrated. He felt like he was stuck in between a rock and a hard place; like a wall. 

Today Mike had called almost directly after Will got home from school. Will sat down against the wall, phone in hand against his ear. He'd learned that it was best to just sit down when Mike called, because if he didn't, he would be standing so long that his feet would start to hurt. Not that he minded if he was talking to Mike.

They'd talked until Will's mom had called him for dinner. When Will had told him he had to go eat dinner, Mike asked him to call him back after he was done. He couldn't help but smile as he promised he would. It looks like it would be another night of straining the phone's cord so he could do his homework as he talked to Mike. 

After a while, Mike and Will had said their goodbyes for the night and got off the phone. There was always a little bit of heaviness that settled itself into Will's chest once they said goodnight. It was strange, though, because soon after, Will would start hearing the voice in his head again. 

Will was listening to it now as he was settled on his bed with his drawing pad in his lap. Mike's voice (at least that's what it sounded like) was growing louder and more clearer. Some of the phrases were the same, some were new. He heard his own name, he heard El's name, the usual choppiness and fragments of words, then the important sentences: "feel the same" and "in love".

The voice eventually faded out, leaving Will by himself. Will continued to draw for a while, but sleep eventually started to pull at his mind and eyes. It was getting late, and Will had already finished everything that he had needed to do this evening. He might as well change into his pajamas and get ready for bed. 

So, once his pajamas were on, Will went to his backpack to make sure that everything was packed for the morning. Then he padded to the bathroom. He brushed his teeth and flossed, brushed his hair out so it would be easier to manage in the morning, and took a pee before heading to his room and practically diving into his bed. 

The brown-haired teen had a little bit of trouble falling to sleep, but that had become the norm. Luckily he didn’t have to wait terribly long before the darkness of sleep took over his mind.

_ Will was at Mike's house, specifically in his basement. It was just himself and Mike there, it was one of their usual one-on-one sleep overs. They'd had a busy day and a fun night, and Will was feeling himself beginning to get sleepy. The smaller teen let out a pretty loud yawn, Mike following with one himself next to him.  _

_ "Hey, today has been a lot of fun but it's getting pretty late. Do you wanna go ahead and go to sleep?" Mike asked after he'd recovered from his yawn. _

_ Will found himself nodding. There were two sleeping bags already set up on the floor to the right of the sofa. Mike smiled at him before saying, "Okay. You can have the bathroom first."  _

_ "Thanks. I promise not to take too long." Will said, reaching for his bag. This part was all routine, they'd done this plenty enough to know how it went.  _

_ True to his word, he slipped into the bathroom and changed into his pajamas quickly before taking care of his teeth and hair. He also took the time to empty his bladder before going out, almost running straight into Mike who was waiting. They'd laughed it off before switching places, Mike going inside the bathroom and Will into the rest of the basement. _

_ Following routine, Will put his stuff into his bag, making sure everything was secure before zipping it back up. Once that was completed, he went to his sleeping bag, shuffling in but sitting up to wait for his best friend.  _

_ He didn't have to wait for very long, because only a moment after he'd gotten into his sleeping bag, Mike opened the door of the basement bathroom and stepped out. He shot a smile to Will, walking over to join him in his sleeping bag.  _

_ Like Will, Mike shuffled into his sleeping bag before sitting up and facing him. "Hey, Will. Um. Before we go to sleep, can I talk to you?" _

_ Will felt a bit of concern pull at his chest. Mike's tone and facial expression had suddenly turned nervous. He hoped nothing was wrong. "Sure. What's up?"  _

_ Mike shifted to get more comfortable. "So... you know how El and I have been split up for a year, right?"  _

_ Will furrowed his eyebrows but nodded anyway. He knew that El and Mike had split up a while ago, but he didn't understand why Mike was bringing it up. He suddenly got a bad feeling. Wait, they didn't get back together all of a sudden, did they? _

_ "Well, since we've been split up... I haven't been looking at other girls. I haven't been thinking about anyone new, either." Mike's voice had a small bit of a higher pitch to it, his facial expression and body movements showing that he was nervous. Yet his speech did not falter, like Mike had already planned what he was going to say before he had to say it. _

_ Mike paused, taking in a deep breath. "Before I actually get into the point of all this, I want you to promise me you won't be weird about it, okay? I'm being serious, I trust you, more than anyone, but I know that this is a big thing. I don't want your opinion of me to change because of it. We can just go back to normal after this." _

_ Now Will was definitely confused. Mike was extremely nervous about whatever this was... it almost sounded like he was planning to come out to him. But Mike was straight? At least, that's what Will thought. But truly thinking about it, Will knew that nothing could actually change his opinion on Mike. Will already thought the world of him, so it wouldn't do any damage to their friendship. _

_ "Mike, I don't know what you're going on about, but I know it won't change how I think of you. You're my best friend and always will be. I promise." _

_ Mike seemed relieved at his words. "Thank you, Will. That goes both ways. But um... back to what I was saying. I haven't been looking at anyone new, because someone I already know is on my mind. Somebody I know extremely well, probably better than I know myself. This somebody gets my heart racing just from hearing their voice, and I can't take my eyes off them when I see them..."  _

_ Will felt his heart sink. Mike liked somebody. An awful lot, from Mike's description. Also, somebody Mike knew well... but who could that be? Somebody they were friends with? But the only other girl in the party was Max. Was it Max? Unlikely, but it could be. Watching Mike be with El had been really hard... and now he was going to have to go through it all again, wasn't he? _

_ "I'm losing focus in everything in my life because I'm always thinking about them. Constantly wondering what it'd be like to kiss them."  _

_ Mike took a breath again, much shakier than the last. "You know who that somebody is? That somebody that's prevented me from being able to look at anybody else? Who's taking up all the space in my mind? It's... it's you, Will."  _

_ Will's heart jumped. Mike took another breath and swallowed.  _

_ "Will. I'm gay. And I'm in love with you. I know you probably weren't expecting this but I swear it's true. I know it’s a lot. I hope you feel the same way... but if you don't, it's alright. We can just stay friends. I just want you in my life." _

_ Will could scarcely breathe. His heart was absolutely racing, his thoughts were racing. He could barely believe this was happening. But it was. He knew, though, he knew it was true. Mike wouldn't play with him like that; not about something like this. _

_ He found himself finally replying before he even knew he had formed the words, or even the courage to speak. "Mike, are you kidding me? I've had the biggest crush on you for at least three years."  _

_ Mike's eyes widened. "Wait... wait, really?" His voice was still shaky but it sounded much more hopeful. His mouth was starting to curve into a smile. _

_ Will found himself starting to smile, too. "Of course, Mike. There's nobody else for me. I just... never said anything because I thought you were straight."  _

_ Mike laughed, just a little. "I promise I'll explain everything, I know this is new... but." He said, suddenly leaning forward. "Can we kiss first?"  _

_ Will felt another sense of shock take over him. "I.... please."  _

_ And then he was being grabbed and pulled into a kiss. Will almost didn't know how to handle it. He'd never been kissed before, and now he was kissing the love of his life. His best friend of all time. The first friend he had ever had. Mike's hands were gentle on him, one holding him by his side and the other meeting the back of his head. Carefully, Mike pressed a couple of kisses to Will's lips, which he tried his best to respond too. Then Mike changed the tilt of his head, and Will was fairly sure Mike was teaching him how to kiss.  _

_ Will hoped he was doing alright. Nothing had ever felt so right. His stomach was filled with butterflies and his heart was racing in his chest, but not out of fear.  _

_ They were both running out of air, though. Slowly, like he was hesitant to do so, Mike pulled away. He kept his hand on Will's cheek, though, and smiled at Will like he thought that he was the best thing in the world. Will could relate to the feeling because that's how he felt about Mike. Will was so happy that he almost felt like crying. _

Will's eyes flew open, his body jerking upwards into a sitting position. It was a dream. It was _another dream._ But it had felt so unbelievably real. It felt like Will was truly back in Hawkins, with his best friend in front of him. If someone asked, he would swear he truly felt Mike's hands on him. Even his heart was still pounding, just like it was in the dream.

Will wanted to cry. He was extremely confused about why things like this kept happening. His eyes flicked to the clock, looking and seeing that it was nearing three thirty in the morning. Huffing, he shuffled back down into his sheets to try to get more sleep. 

However, he just lied there, his mind and heart refusing to calm. His dream kept replaying over and over again in his head, Mike's speech on repeat. The phrases he'd heard... they seemed so _familiar._ A lot of the words that Mike had said had been phrases that Will had been hearing in his head, the voice that sounded exactly like Mike's saying them. Will had never managed to completely piece together what the voice in his head was trying to tell him, but he'd realized it sounded a lot like a love confession. 

Had the dream just revealed the entirety of what that voice was trying to tell him? 

What _Mike_ was trying to tell him?

At this point, an hour had already passed, and all Will had done was tossing and turning. And now he was hyping himself up. He was feeling a literal pull in himself, giving him a distinct urge to reach out for Mike and figure out exactly what the hell was going on. His hands were itching, his legs shifting, and his heart was pounding again. 

He clearly wouldn't be able to sleep again tonight. At least... not until he talked to Mike. But it was 4 in the morning! Well, 4:30. He couldn't just call and demand answers. 

So he did more tossing and turning. He tried to quiet his mind, but it was no use. The insisting only got louder. It was like a supernatural force was pushing Will. 

Once five in the morning hit, Will had frankly had enough. Will needed to talk to Mike, the Wheelers would just have to forgive him if they all woke up by the phone ringing. He threw the covers off of himself, hurrying towards the phone. He didn't even have to see the numbers on the phone pad to dial the Wheeler's number, it was engraved in his muscle memory at this point. 

He felt his stomach drop as he pulled the phone to his ear and heard the tones of the phone ringing. This was probably a very bad idea. But before he could convince himself to back out, somebody picked up on the other line.

"Hello?" 

Will instantly recognized it as Mike's voice. He didn't even sound like he'd been asleep. 

"Mike." Will found himself saying, like his voice was out of his command.

"Will! Is everything alright? I---" 

"Mike." Will said again, effectively cutting him off. Then, completely out of his control, he blurted: "Do you have a crush on me?" 

Will immediately flinched at his own choice of words. So much for cutting into the matter lightly. This was going to be a fun conversation.

\---------

Mike had woken up at three-thirty in the morning from a _very_ vivid dream. He'd dreamt of his confession to Will. It'd been down to the T with his speech, and... and Will had accepted his feelings. They'd kissed before Mike had woken up. It'd been wonderful, and his heart pounded when he replayed the memory over in his mind. 

Mike hadn't been able to get back to sleep. He felt tired, but he'd only been able to toss and turn, his mind staying way to active. His dream kept replaying in his thoughts, not that he was going to complain, but he had a weird feeling in the pit of his stomach. It was like something was telling him to reach out for Will. His feet seemed to want to carry him to the phone.

When five a.m. rolled around, the phone rang, making Mike nearly jump out of his skin. Since he was already very much awake, he decided to go answer the phone. He quickly got up and made a run for it. Something might be wrong, for all he knew.

"Hello?" Mike asked.

"Mike."

Mike recognized the voice immediately. Will had called. He also didn't sound like he'd been asleep prior to the phone call... but five in the morning? Neither of them should have been awake for at least another hour. 

Now he was concerned. "Will! Are you alright? I-"

"Mike." Will said, effectively stopping Mike in his tracks. 

Mike didn't have to ask what was up, because Will immediately spoke again. "Do you have a crush on me?"

In an instant, Mike felt all his breath leave his body. The pounding of his heart came back, and his head started to spin. He felt like he was in danger, but it was just Will. "W...What?" Mike heard himself say. 

"I... I know it's a really weird question to hear. I know it is out of nowhere and I can explain after I hear the answer why I'm asking. But just... please, tell me the truth. Do you have feelings for me?" Will said, sounding breathless himself.

Mike closed his eyes in a grimace. He'd have to bite the bullet and tell him the truth. He couldn't tell him no now just to confess when he was here in a week and a half. "Yes." Mike said quietly. "I do. I... this isn't how I wanted to tell you. I wasn't going to hide it from you... I was going to tell you when you were going to visit for Christmas."

There was quiet for a minute. But at least Will didn't hang up. After a moment of silence, he spoke up again. "Mike." 

He didn't sound angry.

"Yeah?" The raven-haired teen replied, half scared out of his mind.

"I like you too." Will's confession was quiet too, but very solid. Mike could tell from the tone of his voice that he was serious.

He felt himself starting to smile. "Really?" 

"Of course, are you joking? I've... I've had a crush on you for three years. Or at least, I've known about it for three years. I might have had these feelings for a lot longer. You're the only one for me." Will confessed, his voice gaining more confidence, yet still staying quiet as to not wake anyone in the house.

Mike found himself laughing with relief, and joy. But he still had something to say. "Will Byers. I'm gay... and I'm in love with you." Then he realized that he might be overstepping with the in love thing. He rushed to say: "It's okay if you're not---" 

But Will beat him to it. "I love you, too." 

Mike's face split into what was probably the biggest grin he'd ever had, then he laughed quietly again. "You don't know how worried I've been about this."

"Yeah, you're telling me. I just... could you explain this to me? I never told you how I felt because I thought you were straight." Will asked, wanting to know more.

"Okay, that's fair. It's kind of a long story, so I'll just give you the summed up version for now. We can talk more about it later. But basically... I've been struggling with my feelings for you for a long time. I was terrified of them, I didn't even know what it was at first, so I just pushed it down again and again, until I couldn't even do that anymore. When you disappeared, it was the scariest week of my life. When El came around, she reminded me of you. She was someone I could look after, like you were. But the best part was that she was like a blank slate, I could project onto her because she… she wasn’t her own person at the time, as awful as that sounds. She even looked like a boy at the time, so for me, it was the perfect out. I tried to transfer how I felt for you onto her... which wasn't the best thing to do, clearly. It didn't work. I tried to make it work so badly, but it failed. But overtime I've come to accept how I feel about you, and that it's worth whatever trouble we might come across if you were willing to be with me." Mike explained, sounding completely sincere. He sounded grounded. Will was amazed by the fact.

Will was quiet, just for a moment while he processed what Mike had said. Thinking about it, it did kind of make sense. "So that's why you got so distant and weird when El came back? Why you never wanted to see me?" 

Mike sighed. "Yeah. I feel bad for it now, but it was a defense mechanism. I hoped the more time I stayed away from you and the more time I spent with her, the less and less I would feel for you. It had the reverse effect, actually, because I just missed you more and more."

Will hummed. Thinking about it now didn't hurt him. Not when he knew how Mike truly felt. "It makes sense, now that I know. I wish it hadn't gotten so messy, but it's behind us now." 

There was quiet for a moment, Mike and Will both just enjoying each other's presence despite the miles between them. There was a clarity that was coming to them both. 

Mike spoke again. "You know, I was going to tell you all of this in person. I had a whole speech written and memorized. Do you want to hear what it was?" 

Finally, Will would get some confirmation on the voice he'd been hearing in his head if Mike's speech matched up with what he'd been hearing. "Yeah. Read some of it to me. I think I might recognize it... and if I do, I have something to tell you." 

"I... okay." Mike said, eyebrows furrowing with clear confusion about what Will had said but went on anyway. "It was going to be during one of our sleepovers, the ones that were just you and me. I was going to tell you before we went to sleep one night."

Will knew this scene, because he'd just seen it in his dream. 

"I was going to bring up the fact that El and I have been split up for a year. Then I was going to say, "Since we've been split up, I haven't been looking at other girls. I haven't been thinking about anyone new, either." Then I would've---" Mike was cut off.

"Then you would've made me promise not to be weird about what you were going to say." Will said, already knowing how this played out.

Mike was taken aback. How did he know? Had Max called Will and spilled everything!? "I... yeah? Then I was going to tell you I liked you by saying I liked somebody, that the person was taking over all my thoughts and made my heart beat faster and everything."

"And then you were going to say that the somebody you were mentioning was actually me?" Will asked, sounding like he was a little bit in shock.

Mike could relate because he was also in shock by the fact that Will knew. "Yes. How did you---? I was going to say "It's you, Will. I'm gay and I'm in love you with." And I was going to tell you I know it was probably shocking and I didn't expect you to feel the same way."

"I know." Will said, sounding breathless again. He couldn’t believe this. He really had been hearing Mike’s voice all this time. It was _real._

"How did you know!?" Mike asked, brain still catching up to the fact that Will knew exactly what he'd planned without even knowing that Mike had feelings for him.

"Mike. Something weird has been going on with me lately, ever since I left Hawkins at the end of Thanksgiving break. I haven't told anyone else about it but... remember what it was like when I got sick because the Mind Flayer was taking over me?" Will asked.

Mike felt his blood run cold even at the mention of the Mind Flayer. Of course he remembered, so he said as much. "Of course."

"Well, this thing that's been happening to me... it felt similar....but really different, too. When the Mind Flayer took over me, I would feel what he was feeling. Fear, anger, hatred, a drive to escape... I could hear what he was thinking, I would hear his thoughts and his inner voice in my head. I could hear him telling me what to do. And these past couple of weeks... it felt like when the Mind Flayer, but different. Where the Mind Flayer caused feelings that were awful and cold... this felt much warmer. Instead of my chest freezing up, my heart started beating faster, but instead of out of fear, it was like how you feel when you see somebody you have a crush on. And the Mind Flayer caused cold chills to run over my body, this felt like warm tingles. It was basically all of those feelings that are associated with having a crush." 

During Will's speech, Mike stayed quietly listening, slowly piecing it all together.

Will continued. "Like with the Mind Flayer, I also started hearing a voice in my head. At first, I couldn't really make out what it was saying or who was talking, I just knew it wasn't my voice. It started off very distant and quiet but slowly got louder and much clearer, until I could make out what it was saying and what it sounded like. It sounded like you, Mike. The more time that went on, the more and more it sounded like you. The words I was hearing? That was your speech to me, I just didn't know it then." 

"Do you remember when I would get those now-memories, how I'd physically see them?" He asked.

Mike nodded before remembering that Will couldn't see him. "Yeah, yeah I do." 

"Well, what started happening next, it was sort of like that, but I got memories of you and I. It was literally like I would be taken back to when and where that memory was happening, just like when I was sick with the Mind Flayer. It was... strange. Then I started getting dreams. The dreams were different." Will explained.

"What were the dreams like?" Mike asked, despite already half-knowing the answer. He'd managed to figure out some of what was likely happening.

"They were always about you and me, but they weren't memory-based dreams. They were dreams about you and I in the future, we were always together, like as a couple. In the dreams we would go on dates, or it'd just be mundane things like holding hands in the school hallway. The dream I had just now... it was us at a sleepover, and----" 

Mike recognized the dream immediately. "And I confessed how I felt about you? And we kissed and then you woke up?"

"Yeah." Will responded, not missing a beat. "I couldn't fall back to sleep; I connected all the dots and just couldn't wait to call you. I needed to know." 

"I understand. I uh... I had that dream too. I couldn't fall back to sleep either, and something was practically pulling me to the phone." Mike responded.

Will laughed, just a little. "Wow."

Mike laughed too. "Yeah, wow." 

"So... it really was you, that I was hearing. And feeling." Will concluded. "But I don't really understand why..."

Thankfully, Mike had connected a lot of it. "Well... when the Mind Flayer took over you... he sort of became a part of you, even when he left your body. You could feel him when he was in Hawkins during the summer. When you got taken over the first time, I was with you that entire time... I stayed with you in the hospital and everything."

"I know, I remember. I can't remember much from those last days that I wasn't myself, but I remember I could see you. The part of me that was still there latched onto you. You kept me fighting, like you were the last light on." Will confessed, tone of voice warm.

"Well, then maybe... maybe, just like the Mind Flayer, I became a part of you, too? You like... became connected to me, somehow." Mike suggested.

Will was quiet for another moment. "I think you might be right."

There was another minute of quiet while that sunk in for both of the boys. Mike spoke up. "Are we like, soulmates or something now?" 

That got Will laughing, hard. Mike heard the laugh being muffled, and he could clearly picture Will covering his mouth in the dark so he didn't wake up his family. Mike started laughing too. "Maybe we've always been, and this supernatural connection just made us realize it."

"I believe it." Mike responded, smiling widely. He still couldn't believe this was happening. ' _Don't let this be a dream too',_ he thought desperately.

"Well, Mike Wheeler, it looks like we've got a connection that goes beyond most." Will said, hints of laughter still in his voice.

"Looks like we do. I'm glad it's you, though." Mike responded honestly.

"Me too." 

There was another moment of pause that passed between them. Mike looked at the clock and hissed at the time. His parents would be up soon and he would have a lot of explaining to do if they caught him like this; it was likely the same with the Byers.

"We should probably get off the phone soon. Our families are going to wake up any minute, but you know, I wanted to wait to ask you in person to be your boyfriend, but..." Mike started. 

Will finished for him. "I don't want you to wait." 

Mike smiled brightly. "Good, because I don't want to either anymore. So." Mike stopped, breathing in through his nose. This was it, what Mike was praying for. "William Byers, would you do me the honor of being your boyfriend?"

Will laughed at his wording, Mike found himself struggling not to laugh too. "Michael Wheeler, I have to accept the offer, but only if I can be your boyfriend too." 

"It's settled then, I'll be your boyfriend, and you'll be mine." Mike concluded with a very matter-of-fact tone of voice, though he was struggling to keep the levelness of it with the absolute happiness that was rising in his throat.

"I couldn't be happier." Will said, and Mike heard nothing but honesty in the statement.

"Me too, Will. I'm glad we settled this... but seriously we should get off the phone and sneak back to our rooms before we get caught and have to explain all this. Are we keeping this quiet?" Mike asked. He didn't want to spill to their friends before Will was ready.

"Just for now. We can figure out what to do soon." Will said. Neither of them wanted to keep each other a secret.

"Alright, good. I'll call you after school, okay?" Mike asked, not really wanting to part with his boyfriend's--- _boyfriend's!---_ voice but knowing that he had too. 

"Sounds perfect. I'll talk to you then." Will assured. Mike could hear the smile in his voice.

"Oh, and Will?" He asked one last time.

"Yeah?" 

"I love you." He whispered, just loud enough for Will to hear.

"I love you, too." Will said back without missing a beat.

"Bye, love." Mike signed off, trying out a new nickname.

"Bye, darling." Will answered. Mike smiled knowingly. Of course Will would use darling.

Both boys hung up the phones slightly reluctantly, but didn't immediately flee to their bedrooms. Instead they stayed where they were for a moment, goofy grins on their faces while their hearts beat harder out of elation.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Byler instagram is @_byleramry_ and my Byler tumblr is Bylerarmy :)


	5. Chapter 5

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Alright, here's the fifth chapter! Thankfully I was able to get this up much faster than I was the fourth. Now only six and seven are left with needed editing :)

Both Mike and Will alike were counting down the days until the Byers came to visit Hawkins for Christmas. Not only would Will get to see his friends again, but he would get to see his best friend-turned- _boyfriend._ Will had probably seen Mike more than anybody else in his life other than maybe his mother and brother, but this would be the first time he would see Mike as his _boyfriend._ Just thinking of the word boyfriend and associating it with the fact that Mike was now Will's made his stomach flutter with butterflies. 

Will had good reason to feel this giddy, after all, Will had been loving Mike since they were five years old, but that love had changed into a romantic kind almost three years ago. If someone asked, he didn’t think that he would be able to pin-point the moment that the love had changed, he just knew that it had. He also couldn't express how elated he was that it had changed for Mike too.

They talked even more on the phone now than they had before. Unfortunately, they couldn't exactly discuss their new relationship during the day on the phone, both of their families were around and could easily hear them. So, Mike made it a mission to trudge up to Cerebro not just once, but now twice a week so Will could talk to him in the privacy of his room. They would talk in hushed voices, flirting and giggling quietly. Those days were the best, and those times were irreplaceable. The only thing that was better was being together in person. 

However, as excited as they were, both of them were nervous too. What were they going to do when they saw each other again? Were they going to kiss? The idea of that sent trills of both excitement and fear to Will's stomach. Will had never kissed anybody before, meaning he wasn’t sure how he should go about it. What if he didn't do it right? He decided after a bit of pondering that he would let Mike initiate that situation. 

Meanwhile Mike was nervous about similar subjects, but not quite the same ones. He was trying to figure out what to do for a perfect first date to go on with Will. He knew whatever it was would likely be perfect, he would be with Will after all, but he did want it to be nice. _Really_ nice. They had decided not to tell anyone just yet, so he couldn't ask his friends for advice. He wasn’t even going to tell Max. Max might kill him for it later, but he wasn't going to spill without Will's consent. 

Fortunately, Mike had managed to come up with what he thought was a really good plan. Will would probably gripe at him a little for it, insisting that he shouldn't have gone through all the trouble, but it wasn't trouble. Mike wanted it to be something memorable; after all, it was probably going to be the last first-date for both of them. He was determined to make it so. Plus, it was likely the first ever date Will was ever going to go on. So, Mike had a lot of motivation to make it special.

\--------------

One and a half weeks turned into one week, then that turned into six days, then to five days, four days, three days, two days, and finally, one day. Mike and Will alike could barely think with all the feelings that were brimming in them. They had scheduled a time for when they would try to communicate with the supercomms, at 4 o'clock. Cerebro usually worked well, but sometimes weather would disturb the signal. It had happened a few times, and when Will couldn't get a signal from Mike, he always got a phone call an hour later explaining the situation.

Luckily for them, the weather was bright and sunny both in Hawkins and Chicago. Will had turned his supercomm on ten minutes before four o'clock hit, just in case Mike had gotten there early. However, four o'clock hit and there was no sign of Mike yet. It didn't bother Will though; they were almost never in contact exactly on the dot. 

Just as he thought, he had nothing to worry about. Seven minutes after four, static pulled in and he heard a voice. "Hey Will! Do you copy?" 

The brown-haired teen immediately reached for the device. "Hey Mike, I copy. Over." 

"Will! Hi. Sorry, I know I'm late, I got caught up in something after school. Over." His boyfriend, _boyfriend!_ (Will didn’t think he would never get used to calling him that), responded immediately. He could hear that he sounded out of breath. Mike had probably been running to Cerebro.

"Hey, it's fine. Are you okay?" He asked before realizing he forgot to say over, but it didn't really matter. Mike picked the conversation right up anyway.

"Yeah, I’m just kind of tired from running. Over."

Suddenly Will felt a little dismayed. "Mike, please don't tell me you ran all the way from the school to Cerebro. Over." 

"No! Do you think I have the physical strength for that? I realized I was running late, drove home, grabbed my super-comm, drove some more, parked as close as I could, and ran up the hill. Over." Mike responded, sounding a little more like he was catching his breath.

Will started laughing. He started laughing hard, almost hard enough to lose his breath too. He pushed the talk button so that Mike would know that he didn't disappear, just laughing too hard to speak. He heard Mike's voice crackle in, seeming somewhat disgruntled. "What? Why are you laughing so hard?"

Will managed to stop for a moment, but just barely. "I just pictured you, stumbling out of the car and running up the hill all clumsy." Then he started laughing all over again. It was a pretty comedic sight in his mind and probably was in real life too; over time Mike had sprouted to become 6 feet tall and he was still growing. Will wasn't awfully far behind him, at 5'8", but Mike was still taller than him. To make things better, the raven-haired teen was still very skinny, so that detail made him a bit gangly, and neither of them were athletic.

"Oh my god, I rush to make sure I can talk to you, and all you can do is make fun of me? Wow, I see how it is." Mike retorted, but Will could hear the undercurrent of a laugh under it. 

"The picture is spectacular in my mind; you'll have to recreate it this week when I'm there." Will shot back, laughter slowly dying down.

"Oh, no way. Honestly, you probably were picturing it right, I was pretty clumsy coming up here. But I am not going to make myself look ridiculous in front of my boyfriend, thank you very much." Mike said, his tone turning flirtatious.

Will's cheeks instantly heated. "Aw, come on. I might be your boyfriend, but I was and am still your best friend. You know I think you're gorgeous either way." He blurted, albeit quietly, before he could stop himself. The brown-haired teen felt himself flush even more, though he knew that it was something he was allowed to say now. 

There was silence for just a moment before Mike piped back up. "Geez, Will, you're making me blush over here. Have you looked in a mirror?" 

In turn, Will giggled. "Stop it." He replied with, which was all he could bring himself to say.

"What, stop flirting with my boyfriend? Not a chance." Mike immediately shot back, sending Will giggling all over again.

The two teens carried on like this for a while before the tone changed into one that was comfortable and a bit more serious. "I can't wait to see you tomorrow." Will suddenly dropped.

"You're telling me. I couldn't even focus in school today, not one bit. Mrs. Ludlam called on me in the middle of English today and I was like a deer caught in headlights. Seriously, my ears went red and everything! It was pretty bad. But anyway, do you know when you're leaving your house tomorrow?" Mike asked.

"I think it'll be around noon, and the drive isn't terribly long, only a couple of hours so we should be in Hawkins a little bit before four o'clock." Will answered, mapping it all out in his head.

"Well, four o'clock tomorrow can't come soon enough." Mike responded, static affecting his voice a bit, but Will could still hear the smile in it.

It was nearing five o'clock now... so they had twenty-three more hours to go - which was twenty-three hours too many.

\----------------

Mike had to head home from Cerebro near six o'clock so he was home on time for dinner. After dinner however, the Byers' phone rang, Mike Wheeler being on the other line and they talked for another two hours, planning how the time they were visiting would go. It was all set; when the Byers got to Hawkins, they would quickly check into their hotel, set their bags in their hotel room, and immediately head to the Wheeler's house for dinner. Jonathan would get to see Nancy, Will and El would get to see Mike. Max was also going to be there. They had tried to get the entire party together for the first night the Byers were in town, but it wound up not working out. Lucas and Dustin had tried to get off work but were unable too. Will could envision Dustin cursing his boss out under his breath.

Will was ridiculously excited to see his friends, but even more excited to see Mike. His new relationship to Mike honestly felt a little strange, because of how much it felt like nothing had really changed. Of course, there was flirting and the occasional pet name involved, but it was still them. It had always been Mike and Will. However, that didn't take away from the euphoria Will felt because of the whole thing. 

So, at ten o'clock at night, Will finished making sure all of what he would need was packed, got ready for bed, turned off the lights and lied down, hoping to fall asleep quickly.

This was not what happened. 

Instead, Will spent a good bit of time rolling and flipping around in the bed, trying to get in a comfortable enough position. He kept thinking about what the next day would bring. Would he be able to get any one-on-one time with Mike? Would he get his first kiss tomorrow? 

Thinking about it all made his excitement - and nervousness - worse, which made falling asleep much more difficult. It was reminiscent of when he was little and couldn't sleep on Christmas Eve.

Every time Will opened his eyes and looked at the clock, more and more time had passed. Which was technically a good thing, but he definitely didn't want to be tired all day tomorrow. Finally, the peaceful darkness of sleep took over him, but only after Will forced all thoughts of tomorrow out of his head and focused on counting.

\------------

The car ride was awful. Logically, Will knew it was only a couple of hours, about half of a school day, but it just seemed to drag on no matter what he did. He tried drawing and reading but he was unable to focus on it. He knew he was being ridiculously antsy, but he thought pretty much anybody else would be too if they were in his position. 

Albeit, they eventually _did_ get to Hawkins, at three-thirty in the afternoon. Thankfully the check-in process at the hotel was quick, and they were able to find their room without much hassle. Finally, all their bags were situated in the hotel room and they were making their way back to the car to head to the Wheeler's.

The moment Will (and Mike) had been waiting for had arrived. The Byers' car came through the neighborhood, pulling into the Wheeler's driveway and coming to a stop. Before the car even came to a complete stop, Will was ready to rip his seatbelt off and literally jump out of the car, but he had to keep himself calm. Somebody might ask him why he was off his hinges, and he didn't want to have to explain what the exact reason was that he was so excited for this visit. He might not be able to come up with a legitimate enough sounding lie.

He stood next to El behind his mom and Jonathan, his mom placing three steady knocks on the door. Will had to remember to breathe as they waited for someone to answer the door.

It wasn't long before someone did, said someone being Mrs. Wheeler. She smiled widely at seeing the Byers standing before her, ushering them in and hugging each of them hello. Then she said, "Nancy, Max and Mike are in the living room waiting for you."

The Byers and Mrs. Wheeler then headed to the living room with no hesitation. All three were sitting on the couch, and immediately stood upon seeing the Byers enter the room. Mike was in between Max and Nancy, Nancy being on his left and Max on the right. Will's heart started pounding just seeing him standing there. El ran forward to engulf Max in a hug, and Jonathan also moved quickly to embrace Nancy. Will however just had his eyes on Mike, Mike's gaze meeting his. Immediately Mike had this bright, happy smile on his face, and Will began moving towards him. Will stopped right in front of him, looking up to meet Mike's eyes. 

"Hey." Mike said, smiling with teeth.

Will matched the grin. "Hey." 

Then Mike reached for him, pulling him into a tight hug. Will reached up and squeezed his boyfriend back. They couldn't show that much affection with everyone around right now, but they both knew there was more to this hug and held on for a moment. He could feel Mike resting his head on top of his. If Will could go back and tell himself a year and a half ago what was happening right now... the Will in the summer of 1985 would have never believed him. Will's cheeks ached from how big he was smiling from knowing how true it really was.

Eventually though, they did have to break apart. They smiled at one another again before Will moved to hug Max and Nancy, Mike moving to hug El and greet Jonathan. Then Mike had moved to hug Mrs. Byers.

After the hug, Joyce leaned back to look at Mike. "Mike! You've gotten so tall! How are you, sweetie?" 

While they talked, Will watched for a moment and he suddenly felt a rush of affection for his mother. His mom had been through a lot, but through it all she had always loved him fiercely, fought tirelessly for him and accepted him with nothing but love and support when Will finally got the guts to confess that he was gay. Will knew that when they were ready to tell her, she would have his and Mike's backs. Will was beyond grateful for her.

Holly and Mr. Wheeler came into the living room a few minutes later and the greetings went once more. Will couldn't believe how big Holly was getting, she was seven already. Once all the ruckus of the hellos was over, Karen announced that there would be about two hours before dinner would be ready, and everyone branched off. Nancy and Jonathan headed to Nancy's room, Joyce followed Karen into the kitchen, and Max, El, Mike and Will headed to the basement. 

For a while, they just sat and talked. Mike and Will didn't have all that much catching up to do thanks to all of their phone calls, but Mike and El did, as well as Will and Max. Of course, El and Mike still talked, El and Max still talked, Will and Max still talked... but not nearly as much as Mike and Will did. El and Max seemed to talk two to three times a week, and Will talked to Max about once a week, the same with Lucas and Dustin. 

Max told them about how the projects she was working on in art; Max had started taking art classes her freshman year and continued in sophomore year, and had called Will in the past to ask questions for technique and style. Will told her that he wanted to see some of her work while he was in town and that he was sure that it was amazing. 

Mike talked about his job, he was actually working in the video store with Robin and Steve. He also talked about what was going on in theatre, complaining about who he’d had the misfortune of getting paired up with as a scene partner a week ago. Apparently, she wasn't putting forth enough energy or effort which sucked to perform with.

El and Will brought up their new school and the people they had become somewhat friends with. 

After about an hour, Max suddenly said, "oh!" and reached for the backpack she had brought. She pulled out to make-up bags. "El, I got some makeup and nail polish that I think would look great on you, so I brought it with me. Do you want to test it out?"

El's eyes grew wide with excitement. "You bet I do!" 

Max's gaze flicked to Mike and Will. "Do you boys mind?" 

They both immediately shook their heads no. Max smiled. "Okay, great. El, let's go to the bathroom to use this stuff in case we make a mess. We'll be back soon!" She said, pulling El up and leading her upstairs by the hand. The basement door latched close behind them.

Mike and Will were alone.

They had been sitting across from each other, so they both stood up and met in the middle. Will felt his heart pounding again. Mike gave him a gentle smile and whispered, "Hey."

Will's face broke out into a smile. "Hey." He whispered back, trying not to giggle. 

Mike raised his hand to Will's face, gently cupping his cheek there. "Maybe this is a little sudden but… Can I kiss you?" 

Here it goes. With his heart jumping in his chest, Will nodded his head. "Please." 

And Mike did. He leaned down and their lips finally connected. Will suddenly understood what all the movies and books were talking about. The moment he'd been dreaming of had come to pass. When his lips met Mike's, it was like a rocket had gone off in his stomach. This feeling was new and almost scary, but it was _fantastic_ , and he never wanted it to stop.

Mike's hand stayed caressing his face, while the other reached out and held him by the hip. The smaller teen then moved his hands, one reaching out to hold onto Mike's arm, the other reaching up and landing on his boyfriend's shoulder to pull him closer. 

Will wasn't sure how long the kiss lasted but Mike was the one to break it, but he didn't go far. Instead he chose to rest his forehead against Will's. "Wow. That was the best kiss I'd ever had." 

Will smiled. "Yeah, me too. Although that was the first kiss I'd ever had."

Mike laughed a little. "Well, good thing we've got the rest of our lives to fit _so_ many more in. Like... right now, for example." He said softly before kissing Will again. The kiss was a little bit softer this time, but just as good as the first, if not better. It was like as they kissed, something in the universe that hadn't been right before just switched back into place. Like they were always meant to be here with one another. 

After they broke apart for the second time, Will blurted almost immediately: "I love you." 

"I know." Mike said, very Han Solo-esque. But before Will could pout or give him a hard time for his response, he continued with: "I love you too." 

The boys got about twenty-five minutes of time alone, which lead to them winding back up on the basement's couch, Will under Mike's arm in a cuddle while they talked quietly. They eventually heard the basement door open and two pairs of feet heading down the stairs, likely El and Max. They separated in haste but didn't go awfully far. 

It was El and Max like they had both assumed. El was decked out in makeup; bright eyeshadow, mascara, bright lipstick and blush adorning her face. Her nails were also painted an eye-catching bright red. 

"Hey, guys. We just finished and Mrs. Wheeler asked us to grab you for dinner." Max told them, smiling.

Will smiled back. "Okay, thanks. You look nice, El." 

El smiled brightly at him and thanked him before turning and running up the stairs again with Max, holding onto her by the hand. Mike and Will then both stood up, facing each other. Both of their laughs sounded in the room for a moment before the taller offered his hand to Will. He reached out, interlocking their fingers together and Mike led him away from the sofa. Their hands stayed connected until they reached the top of the stairs, where they regretfully let go. Mike was not out to his family yet, and nobody knew they were together yet. But they would get there eventually.

The dinner between the Byers and the Wheelers was pleasant to say the least. Jonathan was sat with Nancy, Max was sat with El, Mike was sat with Will while Will was next to his mother; his mother being sat next to Karen and Ted was with Holly. 

They all chattered back and forth, Karen asking questions to Will and Jonathan while Joyce had questions for Nancy, Mike and Max. Everyone got caught up with one another, a comment or two passed around that they never saw each other enough now that the Byers had moved. Mike and Will glanced at each other, agreeing immensely with the statements. 

Eventually they finished up eating and all members moved together to get done with the cleaning quickly. Then they all branched out again, members of the Party ducking into the basement once more. 

The night had passed by much to quickly for any of their liking. Soon enough ten p.m. rolled around, and Mrs. Byers gave the signal that it was time for them to head back to the hotel for the night. 

Max and El headed out of the basement first, leaving the new couple by themselves again. They hadn't been alone again since the start of dinner. Sadly, there wasn't time to do much of anything because Will had to leave. All they had been able to do within the presence of the girls was send each other casual knowing looks, or the occasional light touch.

Both boys looked at each other for a moment, not entirely sure of what to say. Will decided to crack a joke. "Hey, at least we only have to wait like twelve hours to see each other again instead of twelve months." 

Mike threw his head back in exasperation. "Ugh don't say that, I don't even want to _think_ about not being able to see you for that long. A few weeks is torture enough." 

Will giggled. "Sorry." 

Mike's gaze went back to Will. The taller teen raised his hands and gently grabbed his boyfriend's face, lifting Will's gaze and giving him a kiss. "I'll see you tomorrow morning okay?" 

Will nodded his head, smiling hard. "For sure." 

They kissed again, holding it for a moment longer and then grabbed for each other's hands as they went up the stairs. They had to break the hold again once they could be seen, but it was okay. They would get more chances tomorrow. 

Everyone was waiting at the door by the time the boys came up. Joyce smiled at them once she saw them. "Are you ready to go Will?" 

He nodded in response. Joyce smiled again. "Okay kiddo." 

Joyce gave Mike and Karen another hug in parting, promising she would come see them tomorrow with Jonathan, El and Will. Will hugged Max while Mike gave a hug to El. Will was glad that his sister and his boyfriend had stayed friends despite their split. 

Mike and Will looked at each other again, knowing there was a lot they both wanted to say but were unable to with the prying ears around them. Instead they just shared another hug, in which Will got a quick idea. Using the hug as leverage, he reached to Mike's back and quickly tapped his fingers in 22 specific beats, hoping Mike would understand the message. A moment after he did it, it seemed to register for Mike because Mike tapped the same thing. Both of them suddenly were incredibly grateful they'd taken the time to learn Morse code. They'd both told each other "I love you" with nobody else catching on.

They did wind up parting for the night, Will heading back to his hotel. Even though Will just saw his boyfriend, tomorrow could not come fast enough. He already missed him, but that was what happens when somebody has been by your side since you were five years old. Thankfully, Will didn't have nearly as much trouble falling asleep that night as he did the night before. 

\------------

The next day was Christmas Eve, which also went by quickly. They spent a good amount of time at the Wheeler's house again, but this time Dustin and Lucas were there. They had lunch at the Wheeler's house then the entire Party went out to the mall. Steve and Robin came to the Wheeler home, Dustin, El and Max getting into the back seat of Steve's car. Mike had just gotten his license, so he drove Will and Lucas. 

The mall trip served as a way to hang out and a way to get any last-minute gifts they needed. As they walked past Scoops Ahoy, Robin and Steve both looked at each other and tried not to both cringe and crack up as they remembered the get-up they both had to wear. When they walked past the women's lingerie store, Mike leaned down a bit to whisper to Will.

"Remember when we almost ran headfirst into this store that summer?" He said, Will nodding in amusement. Mike lowered his voice just a little more so it would be impossible for anyone but Will to hear. "We were all horrified. I definitely was. That should have been a dead giveaway to myself that I was gay." 

Will immediately cracked up. "I can't believe I didn't pick up on it sooner." 

Mike and Will both tried not to laugh too loud, but they did get some looks from their friends. 

Around four o'clock, they all headed back to the Wheeler's home. Robin and Steve went to talk with Jonathan and Nancy. Steve, Nancy and Jonathan had reconciled their differences, and Nancy had become friends with Robin. 

Mike had come up with an excuse to be able to get Will alone in his room for a little bit of time. He said to him in the car, definitely loud enough for Lucas to hear. "Hey Will, I've still got presents I need to wrap. I was trying to do it earlier and when I tried it looked awful. I know you're pretty good at it, do you think you could help me when we get back? All the stuff is already in my room." 

Will nodded, getting the hint. "Yeah that's no problem, I can teach you. It's not so hard when you get used to it." 

So when they got home, Mike and Will told the rest of the party to go ahead and go down to the basement and that they'd go down there once they were done wrapping gifts. 

Then the boys headed up to Mike's bedroom.

Mike let Will step in first, while he closed and locked the door behind him. They both placed their bags down on the bed before facing each other, a large smile immediately appearing on both of their faces. 

"So I uh... kind of lied about having presents that needed to be wrapped." Mike started awkwardly. 

Will just laughed. "Yeah, I kind of figured that out Mike." 

His boyfriend laughed right back. "Good." He said, then stepped closer to the smaller teen, lifting his face to give him a gentle kiss. 

Will didn't think he was ever going to get used to this. But that was a good thing.

"I've been wanting to do that since you walked through the front door this morning." Mike confesses. 

Will responds by pressing another quick kiss to his lips before saying, "I know the feeling." 

There was something exhilarating about it all if they were being honest. When it came down to it, they were still Mike and Will. They always had been and that much would stay the same. Just now there was just something more, something even more special on top of it. But knowing that what they had was something only they knew about and sneaking around for it. It really added to the 'teenagers in love' experience. 

They knew they were going to tell everyone eventually, the Party would likely know first and then the Byers, because Joyce and Jonathan already knew Will was gay and accepted him. Talking to the Wheelers about it would probably be a bit more complicated because Mike hadn't told them he was gay. Will had a feeling everything would be alright, though. Mrs. Wheeler was a good mom and she would do anything for her kids when it came down to it. That wouldn't change when Mike came out, even if it turned out to be a little weird for a bit of time. 

Mike moved and turned his radio on, soft music playing from it. The boys moved their bags from the bed to the floor so they could climb on top of it, leading to a gentle make out session. 

At one point, Mike had pulled away to lean forward and rest his head on Will's shoulder, giving them both a chance to breathe. Will brought his arms up and held onto Mike. As they took the moment to breathe, Will got a sudden flashback. He remembered how often Hopper would gripe about Mike and El doing nothing but kissing. He remembered how his stomach would sink just seeing Mike kiss El. 

Now, the memories just bring a sense of euphoria to Will when he comes back to the present. Because it's not El anymore that Mike's kissing. It's him. And it always would be him. He holds onto Mike tighter for one moment before loosening his grip just so he can turn his head and kiss Mike's cheek.

His boyfriend instantly smiled. "You missed." 

Will rolled his eyes in faux annoyance. "Well correct me then." 

And then they were back.

\----------------------

After a half an hour had passed, both boys came to the conclusion that they should probably head back down to see when dinner would be and go back to the Party before someone came looking for them. They tried not to be too sorry. After all they were likely to be able to find some occasional moments to slip away from everyone tonight, plus tomorrow was Christmas, which they'd spend a lot of it together.

"And don't forget, we have the day after Christmas all to ourselves, and that night. I cleared my schedule and made sure everyone would be off doing something else. That day is completely ours." Mike reminded him. Will felt his heart skip a beat. Would that be their first official date? Will thought it might be. Mike knew that it was. 

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My Byler related social medias are as follows:  
> @_bylerarmy_ - Instagram  
> @bylerarmy - Tumblr


	6. Chapter 6

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> My mind as I go to updated this: Last posted a month ago.  
> Me: I know shhhhhhhhh  
> I'm so sorry it's taking me to long to get my butt into shape to edit these last chapters! The good thing is there's only one more chapter after this I have to get up and then I can mark this fic as complete :) I'm honestly so proud of this fic, this is technically my longest fic once the 7th chapter is up. Thank you guys so much for reading and for your patience! I hope you're enjoying this work <3

Christmas Eve dinner came and went, as did the rest of the evening. Then Christmas came, which was always a day that went far-to-quickly due to how high energy and chaotic it could be, but also how fun.

How this specific Christmas went down, it had been a little out of the ordinary to say the least. After all, the Byers weren't in their home. They spent Christmas morning in the hotel, which honestly wasn't as bad as it might seem. They had brought all the gifts they intended to give one another down with them, and it was still them. They just didn't have a tree this year. But the Wheeler's had a tree, and they were spending most of the day with the Wheelers anyway.

The point was, it had been a wonderful Christmas despite how out of the normal routine it had been. Will had even gotten kissed under the mistletoe, something he had secretly been hoping for. Mrs. Wheeler had put up mistletoe on the door and hung it from a couple of the doorways in the house, and Mike had snuck one from the pile and hid it in his room so he could lure Will up there and dangle it above his head. It had been endearing.

Today, Will was being dropped off at the Wheelers' to see Mike. They were spending all day together and having a sleepover. Mike apparently had plans for them both, and he was really excited.

His mom told him to have a good time, that she would see him tomorrow and to be careful.

"Thanks, mom. I love you, I'll see you tomorrow." Will responded, ducking out of the car with his overnight bag under his arm.

"I love you too. Have fun, honey." She said one final time, smiling at Will as he closed the door.

He felt like there was a skip to his steps as he walked up the walkway to the Wheelers' door. Once he reached the door, he gave three happy knocks, waiting patiently for it to swing open. He didn't have to wait for very long, Mike's smiling face appearing behind the door a moment later. "Hey Will." He said, smiling even brighter once he saw his boyfriend. Will felt incredibly lucky that this smile was reserved for him.

"Hey, Mike." Will smiled back, bouncing just the tiniest bit on the balls of his feet.

Mike moved to let him inside, closing the door behind him and pulling Will into a hug not even a moment after. Will hugged back to the best of his ability, his bag getting slightly in the way.

"Oh, do you wanna go ahead and put that into the basement?" Mike asked, still smiling.

"Yeah, that'd be nice." The smaller teen took the offer. They passed through the kitchen, Will saying hello to Mrs. Wheeler, before reaching the basement door. Will was the one to open the door this time, Mike closing it behind him. The second the door was closed, they reached out and interlocked their hands, going down the stairs connected.

Will placed his bag in the normal spot, beside the basement sofa and went ahead and pulled his sleeping bag out, as Mike had brought his down already as well. As soon as that was done, he stepped closer to Mike, reaching on his tip-toes to plant a greeting kiss on his lips.

The taller teen reached out and Will grabbed onto his arms, holding the kiss for a moment before breaking it. They shared two more kisses before letting go, both of them feeling the smile from the other in each one.

"So, I've got a whole day of plans, so I hope you're ready." Mike told him, the tone telling Will that he was proud of what he'd come up with. Mike had refused to actually tell him anything though, so he would have to find out as the day went on. Will tapped his back pocket once to make sure his wallet was there.

"Yeah, I'm ready." He says with confidence. "But I do have a question for you."

Mike tilts his head slightly. "What's up?"

"Are we.... are we counting this as a date?" He asks hesitantly, not realizing how it might sound until he said it.

But Mike just smiled reassuringly. "Yeah, if that's okay with you. There's no pressure though. Like I've said before..." The taller teen dropped his voice's volume for just a moment, even though nobody could hear them from upstairs. "I already love you."

Will felt heat running to his cheeks despite having heard this before. It probably would never stop having an effect on him. "I love you too." Will responded.

Mike hit him back with, "I know."

Will scoffed, laughing. "Oh, come on."

Mike and Will laughed it off and headed back up the stairs and out the front door. 

As they got out of the house, Mike stopped with a somewhat hesitant look on his face.

Will grew concerned. "What's wrong?"

"Okay, this might sound like a stupid idea so you can say no, but I thought it might be nice. You remember when we were younger and we would ride our bikes everywhere?" Mike asked, trying not to feel embarrassed.

Will nodded, fond memories popping up in his mind, with him blatantly refusing to remember the bad ones.

"Well, I thought it might be _nice_ to ride our bikes around today--and I know you don't have your bike with you, so I thought you could ride with me. But I know it's kind of a ridiculous idea and it's cold so---" Mike started to ramble, but Will cut him off, heart beating fondly in his chest.

"Mike, I think that'd be great. It would be really nice, actually. Let's do it." Will said gently, smiling.

The taller teen's face lit up immediately. "Really? Great! Come on, let's get my bike from the garage." 

So the boys headed inside the garage, hands intertwined with Mike leading. Mike grabbed his bike from it's parked position, and Will noticed that it seemed to be much bigger than he remembered.

"Is that a new bike?" He asked.

The taller nodded. "Yeah, I got it a couple of months ago. My parents at first didn't see why I wanted a new bike, but then I explained I share the car with Nancy, and gas was expensive so I could save money by taking my bike sometimes. Plus, part of it is just for old times' sake. I miss being a kid sometimes." 

Will nodded his head, smiling faintly. He knew how that felt.

Then they brought the bike out of the garage, Mike settling on with ease. Getting Will on was a bit more of a struggle, after all Will had never ridden on the back of someone's bike before. Mike scooted forward a bit on the bike seat so Will could sit on the back of it, while Will wrapped his arms around his shoulders. The position would be a bit compromising if anyone saw them like this... but both boys found neither of them cared. They knew they might have to deal with assholes who thought that being gay was wrong, but they were happy, anyone else could fuck off.

Off they went.

The road was a little bumpy as they traveled, Will having to hold on just that much tighter to Mike. It was exhilarating. 

"You okay back there?" Mike asked at one point. Will just laid his head against his back, smiling so wide that his cheeks ached. "Yeah. Better than ever."

For a while, Will closed his eyes so he could just memorize how this felt. The ground moving beneath him, wind hitting his face, Mike warm against the side of his face and in his arms. Sometimes it really did feel like he was dreaming, after all this time, literal years, Will finally got what he had been aching for. 

Not long after he'd closed his eyes, he felt the bike start to slow down so they could come to a stop. He opened his eyes to be met with a familiar sight; the Palace Arcade. 

Will smiled. "I haven't been here in.... well, like a year." He said, mood just slightly dampened from missing living in Hawkins. A lot of awful things had happened to him here... but this is where he grew up. Where his friends and his _boyfriend_ were. Where his heart was. 

Mike laughed just a little, following Will off the bike. "Yeah, I know. I thought it'd be a nice first stop. We always had a lot of fun here." 

The arcade part of the date was simple but wonderful. They went back and forth playing through old favorites, watching one another fondly. It seemed Will had definitely grown his skills in Pacman, whilst Mike had improved his hand at Galaga. They were there for about two hours before Mike explained the next part of his plot... heading to the mall just to hang out and kill another few hours together.

So off they went. 

Once inside Starcourt, they wandered around aimlessly for a little while, just chatting like they usually did and snorting at old memories and avoiding the bad ones. 

At one point, Will grabbed Mike's wrist and stopped walking. He pointed in the direction of where he was looking, Mike following his gaze. "Is that a photo booth?"

His boyfriend smiled and nodded. "It sure is. You wanna go take some pictures?"

"Hell yeah I do." Will exclaimed, tugging Mike forward, who chuckled hearing the mild swear out of Will.

Luckily for them, it was a quiet day at Starcourt, being the day after Christmas. This meant that there was no line for the photo booth, so they could slip right inside. 

They settled in on the leather seat, the photo booth being surprisingly small so they were a little squished together; not that they minded. They pulled the curtain and secured it so that it was completely closed, then got the camera set up with mild difficulty, Mike putting in a dollar to activate it. 

There were four shots that were taken. The first they decided to just be basic, smiling together with their hands interlocked. The second, the boys pulled faces; Will's tongue between his teeth and eyebrows quirked, and Mike's cheeks puffed and eyes crossed. The third snap consisted of Mike grabbing Will and pulling him into his chest, completely surprising him and getting a good reaction shot. The final photo was stereotypical; Will smiling with his eyes closed while Mike planted a kiss on his cheek.

After the final picture click went off, the teenage boys reluctantly stepped out while the photos printed. After sixty seconds, two photo strips plopped out into the tray. They each grabbed one and surveyed the final product.

While the photo quality wasn't fantastic by any means, it was still solid polaroid material. As Will's eyes glided down the strip, he felt his heart beat happily seeing the last two. Something about Mike just made his body do strange things and made him feel strange things, that have only become more intense now that they were officially together. Will was still having trouble believing that Mike felt it too, but it felt too real and went on for too long to be a dream. If it somehow was a dream... Will had better just stay asleep for the rest of his life, then. 

"I'm going to hold onto this forever." Mike said, smiling goofily at the picture strip in his hands. It made Will's heart jolt in his chest again just seeing his expression.

"Me too." Will responded, completely meaning it. He knew he would go to great lengths to preserve this; after all, it wasn't just a photo. It was an important memory of an even more important day. 

Mike swung his backpack around, opening one of the smaller pockets and tucking it inside carefully so the edges wouldn't crinkle. Then he held out his hand. "Do you want me to hold onto yours until we get back to my house?" 

Will nodded, knowing it'd be safer with Mike for the time being and handed the pictures over. Mike placed it inside next to his, zipped the pocket back up and replaced his backpack.

The boys just spent some time wandering around the mall, not really too interested in buying anything. Christmas was yesterday, after all. 

Once it had passed noon and it was nearing one o'clock, Mike turned to Will. "Hey, are you getting hungry yet? Because I have plans for lunch." 

Will thought about the question for a moment. He wasn't exactly hungry yet but he was getting there. "Hm, I could eat for sure. What do you have in mind?" He asked, hoping his boyfriend would tell him but knowing he probably wouldn't.

Mike just smiled cheekily at him. "You'll see when we get there."

Will could do nothing but smile back and roll his eyes fondly.

So, back on the bike they went, Mike driving and Will curled around him. 

At first Will didn't know where they were going because Mike refused to tell him anything, but Will could still recognize his surroundings. At first he thought he was mistaken, but this looked like the route to his old house. After a while Will knew this _had_ to be the route to his former home. But why?

Finally they pulled up, and Will thought he might cry looking at it. He thought he'd never see it again. It was still for sale. 

As they got off Mike's bike, he looked at the taller teen quizzically, hoping for an explanation.

Mike got the cue. "Okay, so I know this is probably really sappy and probably kind of stupid. But... look." He explained, stepping forward to the door and trying the knob. The knob turned, then the door swung open. It was unlocked.

"Won't you come in?" Mike asked, extending a hand. Swallowing down the closing feeling in his throat, Will took Mike's hand and let him lead him inside. 

With interlocked fingers, the black-haired teen led Will to his old living room. Which should have been empty, and it was... except for a blanket laid out in the middle. It looked like one of the old blankets Mike used to have in his basement. 

"I know this idea is kind of lame, but I thought it might be nice..." Mike began to say, reaching for his bag and pulling out a large lunchbox. 

"I packed us lunch... all of our old favorites." He said, unzipping the lunch box to show Will. He looked inside and... indeed, there was all of their old-time favorites. Peanut-butter and jelly sandwiches were stacked inside, with pringles, fruit-roll ups, goldfish and little pepsi cans. 

Will suddenly remembered several instances that they'd sat together and ate like this, from when they were just five years old to fourteen years old. 

"I brought the blanket over here a day before you came. I've kind of been planning for this for a long time..." Mike nervously says. 

Will shoots him a smile, surprised to find his eyes watering a little. "Thank you, Mike... I don't know what to say. I'm kind of emotional here."

Something registers across Mike's face for a split second at Will's comment before he dismisses whatever he thought. "Aw, Will. Come on. Let's sit." 

It wasn't long before they were settled on the blanket, which was much more cushioned than Will thought it would be, with food scattered between them. They ate through it and talked, banter still the same as before. Really, nothing had changed, except for they could now be completely open. They weren't forcing back and hiding the kind of love they held for each other anymore. 

Thirty minutes passed and the food was scarfed down, only sips from the pepsi cans remaining. They eventually lied back, Will under Mike's arm and curled into his chest. They didn't have to hide here. 

"You know," Mike says after a while, "I'm glad nobody has moved in here. It just wouldn't feel right with anybody else being here." 

Will hummed, knowing the feeling. 

That statement launched a discussion of a whole bunch of memories they shared. They had so many that they would probably never run out of memories to talk about. But they were Mike-and-Will, they never ran out of things to talk about anyway. And if they ever did... they could do comfortable silence too.

After a while... _hours,_ Will was shocked to find, Mike carefully stood up and moved to help Will up. "I still have somewhere to take you, but there's still something here I want to show you."

Will cocked his head in confusion. What could that be? 

"Okay." He said anyway, squeezing Mike's hand in trust. Mike gave him a gentle smile in return before turning, leading Will to his old backdoor. 

They walked through the woods for a few minutes, and Will got a sharp pang of recognition. This was the way to Castle Byers. But Will... Will had destroyed it after his nasty fight with Mike. He regretted it immensely... after all, that Castle had been his safe space since his father had walked out on them. But why was Mike taking him there?

Soon, they arrived. Castle Byers was not there... but it's remains were. It's remains were in good condition, too. It seemed as if someone had stacked the sticks in an orderly fashion to protect... a plastic box.

Mike nodded to it. "Go look inside." 

Cautiously, Will let go of his hand and stepped towards the box, kneeling and opening it. He almost cried seeing what was inside. 

A lot of his old stuff was in there. Not everything as some of it definitely got destroyed in that rain storm and further weather condition but... his old comics, some of his drawings and some of the old photos were inside. On the top, there was the photo of himself with Dustin, Lucas and Mike on Halloween, in their ghost busters’ costumes. The one Will had ripped in half. It was taped together. 

Will's eyes shot to Mike, who was standing a little awkwardly to the side. "I uh... I came here a few days after you moved. I was missing you like crazy and I was just remembering our fight and that you destroyed Castle Byers because of me... I wanted to preserve some of it. So, I did the best I could. But it didn't feel right rebuilding it without you. So if you want too while you're here... we could. Rebuild it, I mean. I'm sure we can get the rest of the party to help to if you---" 

Will cut him off by jumping at him, embracing him in a hug and holding onto him tight. "You're really trying to get me to cry today aren't you Wheeler?" He asked in a joking tone, despite the fact that his voice truly was tight with held back tears. 

Mike's arms wrapped around his middle. "If you think this is an emotional scene, you should have seen me the day I came back here after you left. I was a mess." 

"Oh I believe it. I was probably the same way emotionally. When did you find out the door of my house was unlocked?" Will asked, pulling out of the hug just so he could look the taller boy in the eyes; he kept his hands on his arms.

"The same day I came to look for Castle Byers. I've kept coming back when I missed you the most and needed to get away from everyone." Mike admitted, shifting his eyes away in slight embarrassment.

Will felt his heart melt. "Mike..." He sighed, before pushing himself on his toes to pull Mike into a kiss. Mike returned it with no hesitation. If anything, Mike just pulled him even closer.

They stayed there for a moment, just looking at what remained of Castle Byers.

"I want to rebuild it, if we get the chance this week." Will finally said. Mike smiled at him. 

"I told the Party already that I thought we should rebuild it. They're on board already. I just have to give them a signal and set up a day." Mike told him. Will just shifted closer in gratitude.

After a bit, they were ready to move onto the next and final location for the day that wasn't Mike's house. 

"So we can actually get to it through these woods. As you know, everything in Hawkins is connected. I'd say let's bike but it'll ruin the surprise. We'll have to walk back here to get my bike, but it's really not that far of a walk." The raven-haired teen assured Will as he led the way. It was getting close to sunset, which might have made Will nervous if he wasn't with Mike. The dark still irked him a little, but with Mike? Nothing was ever as scary.

After only about five minutes, Mike spoke up again. "Okay, we're getting close. Close your eyes, I promise I won't let you run into anything." He said.

Whatever this was, Mike thought it was something big, so Will did as he asked. He knew the taller teen wouldn't let any harm come to him.

So blindly he followed Mike. "Okay, stay still. I have to let go of you for one second while I get this."

Will nodded and felt Mike leave his grip. He heard what he believed was a metal gate opening before Mike's hand returned to his. "Come on." He said softly, letting Will know to go forward.

They walked together for what Will guessed was about twenty-five feet. It was quiet except for them and the nature around them. Gently, Mike stopped Will, turned him around and then pressed his hands into his shoulders. "Sit down."

So he did, until he felt himself hit a seat. Was he in a swing? It felt like it.

He heard Mike take a few steps back. "Okay. You can open your eyes."

So he did, seeing Mike standing in front of him, bathed in the orange light of sundown. "Hi, I'm Mike. Do you want to be my friend?"

Will recognized the scene immediately. The day they first met. The first day of Kindergarten. They had both been alone and scared, until the beacon of light that was Mike walked up to him and just asked if Will wanted to be his friend. And Will had said yes. 

Will remembered when he was sick, stuck under the Mind Flayer's control. Mike had brought this up. It had made him cry, and he had almost broken the Mind Flayer's control at the memory. " _You said yes, you said yes. It was the best thing I've ever done."_

Will felt himself starting to cry. "Yes. I want to be your friend." 

Mike seemed to be getting teary-eyed himself. "It's still the best thing I've ever done. It always will be."

"It's the best thing that's ever happened to me." Will confessed before getting off the swing and launching himself at Mike again. Mike caught him, just like he always did.

They just held onto each other for a minute, just enjoying the moment and letting their emotions free. "I love you." Will told him, emotion making his tone raw.

"I love you too." Mike responded, and Will was able to hear how true it was.

Eventually they pulled apart. "Come on, lets swing for a little while before it gets too dark."

So they sat side by side, holding hands and swinging gently on the very same swings they met on. Will took in the sight of their elementary school, remembering memories he forgot he had. Suddenly, Will started laughing.

"What? What's so funny?" Mike asked, smiling despite his deceived tone of voice. 

"Did we seriously just break into our elementary school's playground?" He said, looking straight at Mike.

Mike's face seemed taken aback for one moment before he was overtaken by laughter too. "Oh my god, we did! We really just technically broke into our elementary school playground." 

They lost their minds for a moment laughing before eventually settling down. 

"Can you imagine if we went back and told our five-year-old selves where we would be right now, everything we've been through?" Will asked.

Mike chuckled a little. "Oh god, they would never believe us."

Will laughed back. "Oh absolutely not. Especially not if I brought up all the Upside Down business. That stuff seriously sounds like it came out of a comic book. I think it'd just worry little me." 

"Hm, yeah. But we survived it, didn't we? And if anything ever happens again, which it won't, we'll survive that too." Mike said certainly. Will hummed in response. It was true. Whatever happened, they would do it together and they would make it out alive.

It was starting to get dark, though. As if reading his thoughts, Mike piped up. "It's starting to get dark. We should head back so we can grab my bike and get back to my house. We can always come back another day."

Will hummed. "Yeah, we can. We'll just have to break in again." He said, joking just a bit.

It made Mike laugh, though. "Yeah, but lucky for you I'm the master at breaking into schoolyard playgrounds."

Will shook his head fondly. "Hey, Mike?" 

His boyfriend hummed, looking at him. "Yes?" 

"Let's seal the moment." Will suggested. The other teen smiled brightly, stepping forward to take Will's face in his hands, kissing him soundly. Will felt himself grabbing back and smiling.

After they split, he said three words. "Thank you, Mike." 

His boyfriend and best friend just smiled at him and squeezed his hand. "Of course, Will. Let's go home."

So they made their way back through the woods and grabbed Mike's bike before the sky went completely dark. Back to the Wheeler's they went, and Will was grateful once they arrived. The day had been incredible, but it had begone to get quite cold outside.

Mrs. Wheeler had dinner ready almost immediately after they got through the front door. The dinner was rather peaceful, somewhat quiet with all the excitement from the holidays that had just passed. As soon as dinner was up, the couple of teens snuck down into the basement. They mostly just spent the rest of the evening winding down. Mike grabbed one of their old basement blankets, sidled up next to Will on the couch with his arm over him and threw the blanket across their laps with The Empire Strikes back playing on the TV. Neither of the boys were really paying attention to it though, they'd both seen it plenty of times as they both owned the VHS tape, it was mostly just there to serve as background noise as they focused more on one another, talking quietly and sharing tired kisses or just enjoying each other's presence. It wasn't every day they got to do that. Not anymore, but one day they would get to have this constantly again. It was absolutely worth waiting for.

Eventually though they both found themselves to be getting tired. First they both began to yawn, then they felt their eyes burning a bit and their bodies feeling heavier; sleep trying to pull them under. It had been a long day. 

It was Mike that eventually suggested that they go to sleep. They had all week together anyway, and if they rested, they could have another great day tomorrow. Will nodded along with the suggestion immediately and like clockwork, they set into their bed-time sleep over routine. Will got the bathroom first, brushed his teeth and all of that jazz, before slipping out to let Mike in while he went to set up the rest of his sleeping bag.

Will noticed that Mike had set his own up directly next to Will's, to the point where the bags were basically connected. He smiled to himself fondly, remembering the sleepovers before this where they'd basically cuddled until they fell asleep. It had seemed strange to Will at the time but now... now it all made much more sense.

He was just beginning to shuffle into his sleeping bag when the bathroom door opened and Mike came out of it. 

"Too bad that's not a closet." Will found himself saying, the joke appearing in his mind. The taller teen looked at him quizzically, not understanding what he was playing at. "You could have come out of the closet. Literally."

It took Mike a moment to understand it, but when he did Mike snickered. "Oh my god, Will. That's so bad." 

Will shrugged. "Yeah but I'm allowed to make jokes about it. I'm gay." 

Mike shrugged back as he moved to sit down in his sleeping bag next to Will. "I guess that's fair. That also means that I'm allowed to make the same jokes too."

Will hummed before giggling just a little.

Mike just looked at him, face softening into an expression that Will had never even seen him give El. Mike would always have a soft spot for El, Will knew that, but now Will knew he was never truly in love with her. He never would be. "You know, if you hadn't called me that night straight up asking if I had feelings for you, tonight would have been when I told you I did."

Will startled just a little. "Really?" 

His boyfriend nodded. "Yeah. I had a whole speech planned out and everything. I was so scared to tell you to be honest. But somehow you already knew with all that weird Mind Flayer like stuff."

Will laughed, just a little. "I think when everything happened with the Mind Flayer the first time, he must have connected us or something. You were there the entire time and he had to have known how much I loved you, he was in my body and in my mind. I could hear you speaking and could feel how you were feeling, like how I could with the Mind Flayer. Maybe we're connected now. I'm honestly just glad the Mind Flayer isn't back like I originally thought." 

Mike hummed, nodding his head. "Maybe... but maybe we were already soulmates. It would have been you whether all that Upside Down stuff had happened to us or not. We already shared a connection. Either way though, it seems we definitely have a special connection now; one that nobody else will ever have. If there's one good thing that came from all that we've both been through... it's our connection."

Will felt his heart swell at the thought. It was true. Maybe him and Mike were always meant to be together. It certainly felt like it now. "I love you." Will blurted, because with all his thoughts buzzing like this, it was all he could say for now.

"I love you, too. Never forget it." Mike said, smiling like putty as if he knew everything that Will was thinking in that moment. He leaned across the small space between them, kissing Will. It gave Will the feeling that he was trying to pack all of his emotions into the kiss, so Will definitely returned that with full force.

After that, they lied down, Will curled into Mike's chest, never feeling safer than he did right now. As they both drifted off to sleep, they thought about one another and how their relationship had grown and changed. Whatever they did, they would do it together. Everything was going to be okay no matter what came up. This was going to last forever.

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> If interested, my Byler social medias are as such:  
> Instagram: @_bylerarmy_   
> Tumblr: @bylerarmy


	7. Chapter 7

**Notes for the Chapter:**

> Chapter 7: *Just sitting on the word document, finished*  
> Last Updated: October 9th, 2020  
> Me: ... Shit.  
> Yeah um I don't really know why I do that? I prewrite a fic and have it all finished and then there's almost always a giant gap where I accidentally forget to publish it. My bad. In my defense, I got a puppy on the first day of November and well... I think I've only been on my computer maybe three times since then.   
> But here's the end result! I am quite proud of this fic, considering it's the longest one I've ever written. I wrote both of my longest fics in the span of about 9 months. One at 42,000 words and the other at 43,000.   
> Thank you for sticking around to see the finale! I'm so glad to have this Byler fic posted.   
> Instagram: @_bylerarmy_  
> Tumblr: bylerarmy   
> :) <3

The rest of the week had gone by with amazing events taking place. For one, they told the rest of the Party about them. It hadn't gone exactly as they thought it would, though.

They called Max, Lucas and Dustin over, with El coming to the Wheeler's house with Will. They went downstairs to the basement, Mike shutting and locking the door so that Mrs. Wheeler wouldn't come barging in. He wasn't quite ready to tell his parents just yet. He'd probably tell Nancy before he told anyone else in his family.

So, Mike and Will stood together whilst everyone else sat. El and Max were sat together on the couch, Dustin next to El and Lucas placed himself on the arm-chair. Both of them were nervous but they knew deep-down it was all going to be fine, they wouldn't disown them just for being who they were. After all that they'd been through, this wasn't going to draw the line. 

"So... uh. We both have something to tell you." Mike started clumsily, not really knowing what to say. 

Max just crossed her arms and gave them a slow, unimpressed look. "You two are finally dating, aren't you?"

Both Mike and Will spluttered in disbelief. Lucas and Dustin didn't even look surprised, although El looked slightly confused. "What? How did you---" Will started to say, but Max cut him off.

"Come on, you two. Seriously?" Max asked, but all Mike and Will could do was look at her in shock. Mike understood where she might have drawn the conclusion... after all, she knew how he felt about Will but still. 

"Alright, alright, let me explain. First of all, I'm a girl, which makes my observational skills much sharper than you boys. Will... honestly, I've kind of always known you were into boys. Which is fine, it's just who you are. I felt bad for you for a while because I could see how much you liked Mike but Mike wasn't paying you any mind. But then you moved and Mike here kind of lost his mind. I kind of put the pieces together. When I first moved here, El was still missing and Mike was a jerk to me but this was different from then, because Will, you were still here. However Mike didn't even seem like himself now that you were gone. I just thought about how protective he always was over you even when he tried to make it look like he didn't care and just kind put the pieces together. It kind of all fit into place when El told me over the phone that they'd broken up but Mike didn't seem any different. He was still really upset, but not over El." Max explained her thought process out loud. Wow, she was smart. 

However Mike and Will were still confused. "Lucas, Dustin...?"

Dustin just shrugged. "Max told us when we brought up how bad tempered Mike had become-" Mike spluttered, "What!? Hey!" but Dustin just kept moving forward. "It made sense! Even after we lost El you were never like that, except for the week Will went missing. You obviously love Will more than you do anyone else. Not going to lie Mike, I kind of had already put two-and-two together after you and El broke up. You wouldn't even look twice at _any_ girls, yet would jump at whatever chance you were given to talk too or about Will." 

There was silence for a moment as that all sunk in. Then Dustin spoke again. "Hey, uh... when exactly did you two get together?" 

Mike and Will looked at each other before turning their attention back to their curly-headed friend. "Uh... like two and a half weeks ago? I called Mike on the phone and we talked it out. There was this... odd connection thing between us and it's really hard to explain. But yeah, two and a half weeks or so." Will answered.

Dustin raised his hands and cheered. "Hah! So it was before Christmas! Lucas, you owe me ten bucks!" 

Lucas rolled his eyes and grumbled before reaching to his back pocket to pull out the money.

Mike rolled his eyes while Will shook his head in amusement. Of course they made a bet, why wouldn't they have made a bet? 

"So... you guys are seriously cool with all this?" Will asked hesitantly. 

Lucas shrugged after begrudgingly handing over a ten dollar bill to Dustin. "Yeah. It doesn't really change all that much to be honest. You and Mike have always been closer than any of us, which is saying something." He said while reclining a bit in the arm-chair. "Oh, and if anyone ever gives you a hard time for being together, let me know. I'll take them out with my slingshot." He added as an afterthought. 

Mike began smiling brightly and Will thought he might cry. He'd always been scared of his friends' reactions, even though he knew they'd likely stay positive. He was just glad that not only did he not have to worry about them freaking out because he was gay, but they accepted Mike and their new relationship as well. 

"So... now that that's out of the way. Next thing! Remember when I mentioned maybe rebuilding Castle Byers when Will was with us? Just for a keep-sake thing?" Mike asked, confidence back in his voice.

Max, Lucas and Dustin nodded quickly.

"Well, Will wants to do it if you guys can still help." Mike said.

"Okay, cool." 

"Alright, so when are we doing this?"

"I'm off Wednesday and Thursday if you guys are free those days." Dustin was the final response.

Will just smiled. "Thanks, guys. It means a lot." 

\-------

So, that Thursday, the entire Party gathered together, packed themselves all into Mike's truck and went to the old Byers' home. 

With six of them being involved, they actually managed to get the fort done in a single hour, then hung up old photos and stuff inside. Mike had even managed to salvage the old signs that read "Castle Byers", "Home of Will the Wise" and "All friends welcome". They placed the old blanket that Mike had brought; the same one they'd lied on inside on their first official date. Will almost cried looking at the complete thing, but forced it down. Max had brought her camera, so she snapped a photo of Castle Byers complete, then gathered Dustin, Lucas, Mike and Will together in front of it for another picture, then just one of Mike and Will. 

After they all printed from the camera, Max handed them to Will with careful hands. "I'm glad you're happy, Byers. You deserve to be." She had said to him as she did. Will met her eyes and smiled. "Thank you, Max. Thanks for everything you've done."

The red-headed girl just winked at him and then stepped aside to get between a bickering Lucas and Dustin.

That was when Will's attention shifted to Mike and El, straying just a little bit away from the party, talking. Will could pick up their hushed conversation, but he wasn't worried about a thing. 

Mike was the one speaking when Will began to pick up on it. _"No, El. I promise that I always did love you, and I still do, just... not like that. Not like a boyfriend should love a girlfriend, and I never did. I'm sorry for lying to you but of course I still care about you, I want you to be happy and I want us to be friends."_

El hummed. _"I'm not mad, Mike. I just wanted to make sure you still care about me, because I still care about you. It's... okay. Maybe you shouldn't have lied to me all that time... but I kind of understand why you did it. Are you happy with Will?"_

At that, Mike instantly perked up, smiling brightly. " _Yeah... I really am. Happier than I ever thought I could be."_

El smiled back at him. " _Good. I think it's better this way, anyway. I noticed Will had been in such a good mood before we came here and I was wondering why... but now I know. I'm happy for you both because I love you both."_

Will felt his chest swell with affection for his adopted sister and for his boyfriend before he bud out of the conversation.

The rest of the day had been spent with the entire Party messing around in the woods, reminding them all of the old times they had shared. 

It was a good day.

\---------

Eventually, the week was over. Mike and Will had both tried to avoid thinking about them being split up because Will had to go back to Chicago, but they knew it was coming. They were going to be okay though, they knew it. The night before Will had to leave, they had a special night just for them; one of their classic sleepovers with nobody but them. The basement door was locked, there were snacks scattered all about the room, favorite movies stacked to be popped into the VCR and blankets stashed on the couch for cuddling.

Their parting was a little bittersweet. They couldn't kiss or act like a couple in front of their families, as they hadn't told anyone except for the Party. Instead, Mike just pulled Will into him and squeezed him a little bit closer than he would have when they weren't a couple, the smaller teen reciprocating the touch. 

"Hey, call me when you get home, okay?" Mike asked him after they parted.

Will smiled gently at him. "Yeah, I will. Promise." 

Mike just smiled back. "Good." Then he dropped his voice to a volume that Will could only hear by straining his hearing. "I love you."

Will had to fight down a face-splitting grin as his heart began to pound again at hearing that phrase. He'd worry they might wear the words out... but he didn't think he'd ever get used to hearing I love you from Mike, let alone get tired of hearing it. "And I love you, too. I'll never stop." Will responded, using the same hushed tone of voice.

"I never will either." Mike said confidently, nodding his head. It was a promise Will knew they'd both make good on.

\---------

Winter had slowly turned into Spring both in Hawkins and Chicago. Keeping a relationship with one another over the distance between them was a little difficult, but neither boy would trade what they had for anything. Besides, they were _Mike and Will,_ nothing could get between them. 

It helped that Mike could drive. Whenever he could manage, he would come visit over the weekend. He'd drive to the Byers' home directly after school on Fridays, get there in the evening and leave the following Sunday evening. The visits were short, being only two days long, but they were plenty enough for the boys. Anything to see one another. The best part? Mike slept in Will's room when he came to visit.

This weekend the boys had planned something special. A little scary, but special. They were going to tell Mrs. Byers and Jonathan about them. Deep down, both of them knew that it was going to be just fine. Will's mom and brother already knew Will was gay and accepted him for it, in fact, they'd always known. It was more scary for Mike than it was for Will, because he was still getting used to people knowing he was gay. But Mike was ready for them to know. He was planning on telling his own parents soon and while he hoped everything would be just fine, they probably wouldn't disown him... it'd be nice to have some place to go if everything went wrong.

Will told Jonathan first, with Mike's permission. Sometimes Jonathan would be done with his college courses for the day and he didn't have work on Friday's, so he'd come and pick Will and El up from school just to spend some time with them. Today happened to be one of those days. 

As he got into his brother's car, Will decided to chuck out his plans for a whole speech and just tell him up front. 

"Hey Jonathan?" He asked.

"Yeah?" Jonathan responded immediately, throwing a quick glance to him before looking back to the road.

"Mike and I are dating." 

Jonathan just raised his eyebrows. "Really?" 

"Mhmm. Turns out he's gay too... sorry, El." He throws back to his sister in the backseat, who just shrugs nonchalantly. 

Will's older brother just smiles a little. "Honestly I'm not all that surprised. I know you've been crushing on him since you were like twelve, and with how Mike was acting I was pretty sure he felt it too and was just to stressed-out-teen-boy to figure it out." 

Will started to laugh. "Yeah, that's pretty much how it happened." 

So that was pretty easy. Brother down, mother to go. 

Mike got there at his usual time, around six o'clock, so he was just in time for dinner. They had been setting the table when the expected knock on the door sounded. "That's gotta be Mike." Will announced, heading to the door. 

The brunette haired teen opened the door, smiling and feeling just a bit fuzzy at seeing his best friend and boyfriend on the other side of the threshold. Will immediately grabbed for him, sliding his arms around him quickly and slotting his head in it's usual space between Mike's shoulder and neck before pulling back, glancing to make sure nobody was looking and kissed him softly. Mike immediately responded, gripping onto Will just a bit tighter.

Soon they wouldn't have to sneak kisses in the Byers' home.

"Hey." Will greeted, smiling.

Mike was smiling back, but Will could see that he was nervous. "Hey, love. Did you tell Jonathan?" 

Will grabbed his hand, rubbing at it soothingly. "Yeah, I did. His reaction was... uneventful. He wasn't all that surprised. But he accepts and supports us, just like I knew he would. It's gonna be okay, Mike." He comforted, standing on his tip toes just a little to kiss Mike's cheek.

Mike nodded. "Okay. Okay good, I'm glad. You're right, it's gonna be fine." 

Will squeezed his hand. "Hey, we don't have to tell my mom yet if you want more time." 

The taller shook his head. "No, no, I'm ready. I want her to know. I'm just nervous, although I don't know why." 

Will just nodded. "Trust me, Mike, I get it. I've been there too. I just... I know my mom. I know she'll have our backs." 

So, dinner was a simple affair, conversations light and easy, and the lanky teen seemed to calm down a bit during the meal. After dinner, things were quickly cleaned up and when Jonathan and El dispersed, Mike moved next to Will, who spoke up. "Hey, mom, can we talk to you?" 

Joyce's attention was quickly on them. "Of course, sweetie. Is everything okay?" 

They both nodded. "Yeah, everything is fine." Will started, before turning his attention to Mike. "Uh... should we just jump right into the point?" 

Mike nodded, letting out a breath. "Might as well."

"Okay, well mom... Mike and I are dating." Will said, moving to grab Mike's hand.

Joyce just blinked for a moment before smiling. "That's great, sweetheart. For how long?" 

The boys looked at each other for a moment. "Uh... four months." 

At that, Mrs. Byers looked a little surprised. "Well boys, I'm going to be honest. I'm not all that surprised that you're together... I've seen it coming. But I am surprised how long you were able to sneak around without me completely catching it on. Would you mind telling me how it happened?" 

So, they all sat down. Mike told Joyce that he'd realized he had feelings for Will once they'd all moved, how upset he'd been over Will being gone and how it hadn't gotten better. He told her how he'd come to the realization that he'd never loved El romantically, and that he was actually gay. Then he told her how he was going to tell Will how he felt, which led into Will explaining the strange happenings he had gone through; with hearing Mike's voice in his head and all the feelings and memories which had eventually led to the confrontation on the phone. They went from best friends to boyfriends with that phone call and hadn't looked back since.

Joyce had watery eyes by the end of their explanation. Will grew concerned. "Mom, are you okay?" 

Joyce just nodded. "You two really are soulmates, aren't you?" 

Mike and Will looked at each other warmly, because they thought the same thing. "We like to think so." Mike piped up. 

Mrs. Byers sniffled just a little. "Sorry, I'm just a bit emotional. I watched you grow up with Will, Mike. I'm honestly really happy you two are together and I support you completely." 

Both boys got up to reach over and hug Joyce for a moment, both feeling a rush of affection for her.

"Mrs. Byers, thank you. You've become a second mother to me and I'm so grateful that you have our backs in this. That's actually what I wanted to tell you..." Mike started. "I'm... I want to come out to my parents. I think it'll all be okay, but if things turn out bad... If I'm not welcome at home anymore..."

Mike didn't have to finish out the thought for Joyce to catch on. She reached out to take his hand. "Mike... I know your mother. She wouldn't disown you. Ted, I can't say much about but even then I don't think he would kick his own son out. Karen won't let him but if... if that really does happen, you're more than welcome to be here with us."

That got Mike sniffling. "Thank you, Mrs. Byers. It means more than I can say."

Joyce just smiled at them both with joy in her eyes. "You don't have to thank me, Mike. I love both of you boys." She said, standing up and kissing both of them on their foreheads.

After that conversation came to a close, the couple went towards Will's room with their hands interlocked. The second they were inside, Mike flopped down on Will's bed, the stress of before seemingly having exhausted him. "I am _so_ glad that turned out so well."

Will just followed him and lied down on the bed beside him. "I told you it was going to be okay. And when you tell your parents, that's gonna be okay too." He said, reaching for and grabbing Mike's hand. "We've got this."

Mike smiled, his nerves not entirely quelling but calming as he leaned forward, kissing his boyfriend in celebration.

\------------

Will was right. When Mike did go through with telling his parents, everything was fine. 

Mike told his mom first. He felt that she was more likely to accept him than his father, when it came down to it, his mom was about as caring as a mother could get. 

He'd discussed it with Will before doing anything. They had been together for six months, Will's family knowing about them for three months. On a June afternoon, Mike felt the nerves filling in his stomach as he drove home from school. The school year was coming to a close, and everyone was anxious for it to end... but Mike was anxious for a whole different reason than most.

He decided to just go in and rip the band-aid right off. _'It's gonna be okay'_ Mike repeated to himself as he made the steps to his front door. This was terrifying, but if Mike was honest with himself, he was sick of hiding who he actually was. He wanted to be out not just to his friends and not just to Will's family, but he wanted to be out to his own family. 

Once in the door, he dropped his backpack on the floor in it's usual place. "Hey, mom! I'm home." 

"Hey sweetie, how was school?" He heard his mom call from the living room. He placed his hands in his pockets and nervously shuffled into the room to find his mom on the couch, probably taking a break from her day.

"It was okay. Mom... can I talk to you about something?" He asked, cutting straight to it.

Mrs. Wheeler immediately nodded, patting the seat next to her. "Of course Mike. Is everything alright?" She asked as he made his way over to sit.

The tall teen shook his head. "Yeah... at least, I hope it will be." 

"What's going on? You know you can tell me anything honey." Karen was looking at him with a genuine want to know what was bothering her son. It helped ease just a little bit of the tension in his body.

"Well... you remember when I was dating El?" Mike started. 

Karen nodded, rolling her eyes just a little. "Yes, how could I forget? You spent more time at Hopper's cabin with her then you did at home." 

Mike shrugged, just a little. "About that... when I was with her... it never felt right. It never did. I like El a lot, it just never felt like it should. I spent so much time on her because I was doing everything I could to just try to make it feel right, but nothing worked." 

He had looked away from his mother during his explanation, shifting his gaze back to her to see her reaction. There was no look of confusion or surprise on her face, just calm and understanding. "Go on, Mike. I'm listening."

"Well... I realized it's... it's because I don't like girls. Like that. Mom, I'm gay." He managed to get out, his voice dropping in volume to the point that 'I'm gay' came out as more of a whisper. He felt like he could cry at any moment.

All Karen did was reach out for her son, taking his hand in her's. "Mike, honey... you're in love with Will, aren't you?"

With his voice scrunching up a little at the attempt to not start crying, he nodded. "I am. We're dating." He hated how his voice broke and he failed to keep the tears in.

Karen immediately sprung into action, pulling her middle child in for a hug. "Mike, honey, it's okay. I won't lie to you, I've kind of always known."

As Mike held onto his mother, he asked, "What gave it away?"

"Oh, a lot of things. First of all, you're my son. A mother always knows. The way you look at him, for one. When Will went missing when you were twelve, you stopped at nothing to find him. When you went missing for a week to stay by Will's side when he got sick in the hospital. How torn up you were about Will moving. You'd do anything for him, and have gone to the extremes for him already. There's one thing that makes you that crazy, and that's love." She told him.

Mike couldn't even think of an argument to say he wasn't that obvious because... well, he was.

After a moment, Karen leaned back and wiped away at her son's tears. "Mike, I love you and nothing will ever change that. If being with Will makes you happy, I'm happy too. In fact, I'm kind of glad it's Will you're with. He's a sweet kid and we know his family."

Mike was hit with a wave of gratitude for his mom and her kindness. "Thank you, mom." 

Karen just kissed his forehead. "You don't have to thank me, sweetheart." 

"How do you think dad's going to take it?" Mike asked. His mom had been fantastic but his dad might not be.

Karen took a deep breath. "Honestly, I don't think he'll be surprised either. But don't worry. I don't think he's going to take it badly. He loves you even though he doesn't show it often." 

Mike smiled a little. Oddly, the comfort resonated in him.

Just like his mom said, his dad wasn't surprised in the slightest. Over dinner, Mike told him. All his father did was grunt and say, "It's about time. I'm surprised that didn't happen sooner."

Mike was appalled at how easy it had been. Of course he actually had to explain it to Holly, she was only seven and there wasn't exactly a lot of representation for gay people. But Holly wasn't weird about it, which was good.

When Nancy came home from working a late shift, he just popped his head into her room and blurted: "Hey Nancy, I'm gay and I'm in love with your boyfriend's younger brother."

All Nancy did was look at him and laugh before saying, "Yeah, I know."

It was all a huge relief. He knew being gay wasn't easy in this world, but he had his friend's and family's support. When it came down to it, those were the only people who's support really mattered. He was happy with Will. 

\----------------------

The Party were now in their Junior year of high school. It had been two years since the Byers had moved away from Hawkins, and about a year since Mike and Will had gotten together. 

The Byers were coming down again for Christmas, and Mike couldn't be more excited. They saw each other more often now that both Mike and Will could drive, but they still wanted to see each other more than they already did. 

When Mike wasn't focused on his school work or the Party or Will, he was often at rehearsals for the school theatre. Mike didn't really intend to go into acting for a living, but he had fun doing it in his free time. Will hadn't gotten to see one of his shows yet, but he promised he was going to try. He swore he'd make it to at least one before they graduated.

The drama department was currently putting on a performance of a Christmas Carol; performed the weekend of the last school week before the holiday break began.

Mike had done pretty good for himself in the role he'd been casted; Bob Cratchit. Will had heard all about it over the phone. 

On the Friday performance, all had gone off without a hitch. There were only very minor mishaps which were easy to cover up. In theatre, you always had to be ready. There were no lines forgotten or late entrances or exits.

Thanks to the blinding lights on stage, Mike couldn't really see the people in the audience for most of the show. However, during curtain call he got close enough to be able to make out some of the faces in the crowd. He saw his mother and father, Nancy and Holly. But then... next to Nancy, he saw Jonathan. He had to do a double take but it was Jonathan.

Next to him was Joyce... then El. Then, there was Will with an expression of pure love and pride in Mike.

Mike felt his eyes well up with tears and felt his heart jolt a little at the shock.

The Byers weren't supposed to get here until Sunday.

The moment the curtain closed and they were given the O.K. to start heading into the audience, Mike raced to get to his family and the Byers.

In an instant he flung himself into Will's arms. Will just laughed and hugged him back, telling him: "You did so great, Mike! You're an amazing actor!"

Mike squeezed him for a moment, tears of joy burning his eyes before letting go to look at Will. Will had even gotten a little dressed up at the occasion.

"Will! Thank you. What are you doing here!?" He asked, still a bit in shock. He glanced to the rest of the Byers. "You guys weren't supposed to be here 'till Sunday!"

Will smirked, just a little. "I promised you I'd come see you performing one day, didn't I?"

Mike spluttered a little. "Well yeah, I just thought I would know that you were here first."

"It wouldn't have been a surprise if I told you." Will retorted.

Mike seriously loved this boy.

If Mike took Will backstage into the boys' dressing room and they shared several kisses... well, it was nobody's business but their own.

\-----------

The Party's senior year of high school was bittersweet, to say the least. They were all aware that this would be the last year they would ever attend school together (minus El and Will). Graduation was marking the end of the first period of their lives, but it wasn't marking the end of their friendships. The Party all wholeheartedly believed they would stay friends for the rest of their lives, no matter where each of them ended up. After all they'd been through, they all knew they could handle a bit of distance between them without distance forming between them as friends.

Thankfully, the Party's graduation and Will and El's graduation fell on different days, so they could each be there for each other's. 

The Party's was first, and as Mike walked across the stage, he swore he could hear the Byers' and his family yelling in the crowd. 

As Mike watched Will walk across the stage while sitting with the Party and the Byers during El and Will's graduation, Mike almost cried. From their very first day of school, to their last. Here they were. From little kids, scared and alone, to best friends up against odds from a dark world, to lovers with hope for the future. 

As El and Will came up to them, Mike discreetly slipped his hand into Will's hand and whispered in his ears. "I'm so proud of us. It's a shame we couldn't walk the stage together." 

Will smiled just a little, whispering back. "Well, maybe we weren't physically together, but you were in my thoughts and in my heart." 

Normally, they refrained from showing public display of affections, due to many strangers being unkind, but all Mike thought at that moment was 'Fuck it' as he leaned into to kiss his boyfriend to respond to his cheesy but extremely sweet response.

However, now that they were graduated, neither of them were going to college straight away. They both knew what they wanted to do; Will of course wanted to study art, and Mike was going to try to go into creative writing and English. But they wanted to figure out where they both wanted to go, because they wanted to go somewhere together. Somewhere they could be themselves. Plus, it wouldn't hurt to be able to save up some money first.

So, they both took a gap year. They both got part time jobs, and without the restraining schedule of school, they were able to see each other more.

The Party had dispersed, but they all called and kept in touch, and they all came back to Hawkins for the holidays. When the holidays rolled around, that had been a party indeed.

While being out of school felt kind of strange at first, they got used to it. It really was a wonderful year.

However, that gap year did eventually come to a close. 

Mike and Will eventually decided to pack up and go to New York for university. Will managed to get financial aid so he didn't have to put any strain on himself or his mom, Mike's parents helped him out. 

Of course, they were rooming together.

On August 29th, 1990, they finally unpacked the last box into their dorm. They both stood there for a moment, looking over the room before they looked back at each other, that familiar, amazing feeling rushing in their chests. Love.

Just like they started their school journey together, they were starting this chapter of their lives together as well. They would end and start every single chapter of their life together.

\--------------

College went by faster than high school did. Maybe it's because they were finally able to be with each other every single day. Being together in college was _amazing._ Of course, they had the occasional arguments here and there, but not nasty ones. Every pair of people has disagreements no matter who they are. Mike and Will never screamed at each other, they never yelled. They never even got all that angry. They always managed it with good communication and patience. 

They made friends. There was Sean, a blond haired blue eyed guy who was tall, but a little chubby too. Mike met him in one of his earliest creative writing classes, they had connected because they'd both happened to wear a Star Trek t-shirt on the same day. It turned out that he shared a couple of other common interests with Mike and Will. Thankfully, though Sean was straight, he was open minded and was fully supportive of Mike and Will being together.

Then there was Maisie. She was a short half Japanese girl Will met in his art history class. She happened to be a lesbian, and while she wasn't necessarily as big of a nerd as Mike and Will were, she did have a lot in common with them and they got along great.

They met a lot of different people thanks to college. Of course, they missed their original Party, and they stayed close friends with them all, but it was nice to have some new friends in a new place.

Before they knew it, the four years were up. Will earned his degree in Visual Arts, and Mike earned his in English. Mike could technically become a teacher, but he was aiming to be an author. He did minor in creative writing, after all.

They walked across the stage when their names were called with their heads held high.

\----------

For a while, Mike and Will stayed in New York. They got an apartment on Long Island. It was nice, it wasn't in the loud city but it was close enough for them to visit. People in New York were so much more open minded than in Hawkins. In Hawkins, if they even stood too close they risked getting insults hurled at them or much worse. In New York, they could walk down the street hand in hand without getting so much as a second glance. Of course there was the occasional asshole, but you can't please them all.

Their apartment was small, but it was plenty enough for them. It was home. They even got a dog! They got a Jack Russell terrier, a black, brown and white girl named Cleric. A little after that, they got a ragdoll kitten, giving it the name Paladin. Something close to their hearts.

Mike landed a job working to write stories for a sci-fi magazine, while Will picked up scattered commissioned artistic jobs; a cafe wanted paintings to hang in their place, a city business needing logo designs and advertising designs. They weren't exactly swimming in cash, but they had enough to pay the bills and have a bit of savings on the side. They were surviving and they were doing it together, so they were happy.

They started a side project together. A novel mixed with a comic of the sorts; Mike doing the writing and Will doing the illustrations. They both pitched in with the story line. They eventually ended up with a complete novel; the story of a young boy getting abducted by aliens, his best friend back on earth doing everything he could to get him back. Then, the boy was brought back to Earth but the government held him captive for testing, and his best friend broke into the government facility to help him escape. 

Oh, and they fall in love at the end.

If Mike and Will took a lot of inspiration from what had happened to them with the Upside Down... well. Something good had to come out of it.

The book became a best seller, and Mike and Will were suddenly in a better world.

\---------------

The boys stayed in New York. After living there, they realized there wasn't anywhere else that they would rather be. New York was one of if not the best place for them as a couple... considering that they were two men. New York had crazy things going on all the time, two men in love was nothing. It was normal. A lot of the world... hadn't caught up yet.

They legally qualified for domestic partnership benefits here too. They couldn't get married, but they basically were. They couldn't get married... until they could.

June, 2011, they heard the news. They were forty years old at the time, but it immediately made them both feel like teenagers again.

If they didn't have any form of self control, they'd have both rushed out and bought rings and got married on the spot. But after a moment of thinking, they decided they wanted more than that to commemorate it. They were going to get married, but they wanted their friends and family to be there with them when they did it.

Only a week after it had been announced that gay marriage was officially legal in the state, they planned a day date in the city. 

They started the day early, going into the American Museum of Natural History. It was a place they both loved and tried to visit occasionally. It was always a good day when they did. As they both walked around, hand in hand, both were calm, but they both got a shot of nervous jitters as they thought about what they both had up their sleeve.

They, of course, had to make a stop in the Hayden Planetarium; if there was anything neither of them had outgrown, it was their love of sci-fi and their love of space. 

After that, they headed to Times Square. They wondered through the unique stores, not actually really buying anything until they hit M&M World and the giant Disney Store. Disney had a special spot in both of their hearts, especially Will's. Will had a certain fondness for Disney because it reminded him of when he was a kid, before everything bad had happened, as well as took to it because of the hand-drawn animations.

Their last stop for the day was Central Park. They both liked to just walk there, sometimes sit on the rocks. Will could take a lot of inspiration for drawing there. 

So they got ice cream, and took a stroll for a while, hand in hand. Comfortable silence spread between them as they took in their surroundings, eventually winding up at Umpire Rock. Ice cream now finished, Mike clambered up first, taking Will's hand and leading him up too. They got too the center of the rock formation, taking look out for a moment.

"I'll never get over how pretty this place is." Mike sighed.

"Me neither." Will agreed.

"You know what's even prettier?" The taller asked.

"What?" The smaller responded, turning to his boyfriend.

Suddenly, Mike dropped to one knee. "You. I'll never get over how pretty you are, either." 

There was a ring box pulled from his pocket, presented to Will, who felt tears coming already. Turns out Mike felt the same thing, because his voice wavered as he said: "Will. Will Byers. You were my first friend, and have always been my best friend. We've... we've been through everything together. Absolute hell together, yet we got out and survived, because we did it together. There's so much I could say, but I don't know how to put it all into words. I love you, Will. More than anybody on this Earth and I will _never_ love anybody more. Please... can I be your husband? Will you marry me?"

Sniffling, Will pulled the ring box from his own pocket, kneeling down in front of Mike and opening his. "I was going to ask you the same thing."

Immediately, Mike jumped forward and engulfed Will in a hug. They stayed like that for a moment, just holding each other and hardly believing this was really happening, before pulling apart to slip the rings onto each other's fingers. 

They had both gotten each other silver rings; the one Will got Mike had a braid like design while the one given to Will had three small aquamarine stones in the center.

They kissed for a moment, despite having already attracted a lot of attention. They'd both known they were likely to attract a little bit of a crowd, proposing in central park, but neither really cared. If anyone had earned this happiness, it was them no matter what anyone else thought or said. Ninety-five percent of the crowd's reactions were positive anyway, cheering them on and finding it cute.

Both Mike and Will's mothers cried on the phone when they told them. 

Five months after the proposal, their wedding day arrived. They picked the day of September 2nd, the anniversary of their first day of Kindergarten, the first day they met; to be wed. 

Their wedding wasn't exactly extravagant or huge, but it was still a very special event to all. 

They decided to evade getting married in a church, because the truth was neither of them were very religious. Instead, they had a ceremony outside. 

They chose to wear the same styled tux. They wore white button-down shirts, the main color of the suit jacket being grey, the lapels being black. To mix with the plain colors, they picked bow-ties; loud, rainbow colored ones.

Of course, the Party was there, and not just as guests. Dustin and Lucas were the best men. Dustin was Will's, while Lucas was Mike's. Max and El were the 'groom's maids' as they took to calling themselves. 

A handful of friends they'd made in college were there, as well as some friends they'd made through work or other connections in their recent lives. 

Then, there was their families. 

Mike's parents and his two sisters were there. Nancy and Jonathan had gotten married years and years ago. 

Will's mom and Jonathan were there, too. Will's mom had cried seeing him all dressed up, telling him she was so happy to see where he was now. Jonathan told him he was proud of him.

Instead of having one wait at the alter while the other walked down the isle to meet them, they went out together. 

Neither had seen each other the night before or that day until they met face-to-face to start the walk down the isle. If they were both fighting back tears by the time they reached the alter... well, nobody said anything.

The ceremony went smoothly without any bumps, minus Mike shaking so badly he almost dropped the wedding ring as he was trying to get it onto Will's finger, but they managed to save it quickly and getting a little laugh in as well.

Then there was the reception. 

The reception had been a ridiculous amount of fun. Mike and Will had spent time sitting down building a playlist of music with not only themselves in consideration, but the guests that would be attending with them. 

80's hits from when they were kids and teens of course were heavy in the list, but so were hits from 60's and 70's. They'd also thrown in stuff from recent days that they liked.

So their music played at the reception was a solid blend of different styles of all decades from the 60's to the early 2010's. There was a lot of up-beat dancing tunes as well as the occasional slow bop for the couples, including themselves.

The catering service also had a mix of different foods with the attempt of having something for everyone. It wasn't outrageously expensive and it was good quality and quantity. It seemed as if luck was on their side to give them a perfect wedding experience.

The decorations for the reception were somewhat simple, but nice. The newly married couple had went through all their old photographs and gotten copies made of when they were kids, pictures of when they were together and pictures of them separate, scattering them through the room strategically. 

So, the night was spent filled with good food, laughter, dancing, love, and happy tears.

The theme for their wedding was, in a way, a retelling of their story. Some parts had to be edited or not as in depth because while some of the guests had lived through it with them, not everyone had and not everyone needed to know.

Their wedding was beautiful, and everything they could have wanted. It was a celebration not only of their marriage, of their relationship and the love they shared, but a celebration of all that they'd been through and the fact that they'd survived it, had overcome all their challenges and came out on the other side happy and in love.

Instead of changing either of their last names, they hyphenated it. Mike Wheeler became Mike Wheeler-Byers, and Will became Will Byers-Wheeler.

The pair stuck with one another for the rest of time, just as they were always meant to do, and neither of them would have had it any other way.


End file.
